Participants:
Scene Title | Apple And Pie |
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Synopsis | Are two things that go together. After having herself stripped of ability, Abby is feeling more than a little out of sorts, and goes to the place that could have answers. |
Date | May 25, 2009 |
There is no mistaking this building as anything but a church, with its arching glass windows and concrete cross fixed to the edge of the pointed roof. Curving stone steps lead up from the pavement to a set of black double doors, often kept closed during the colder weather, but unlocked during the allocated hours written on a blue sign fix to the brick wall. In white, formal letting, it reads GUIDING LIGHT BAPTIST CHURCH and lists its hours of worship.
Through the doors, you first step into an open, nondescript foyer, with access to an unobtrusive staircase headed upwards, and a second hallway leading off somewhere less public also. Mainly, this room opens straight out to the much more spacious worship hall, with immovable rows and rows of pews. A small church, it only seats an absolute maximum of around one hundred and fifty people at a time. It has a high ceiling and is warmly lit, simple and reverent in design, colours light and earthy. The stage before the pews is wide open, with seats off to the side for other pastors and guest speakers, and there is a podium placed off center. On the other side, there is a small organ with music sheets kept nearby.
Another morning, another day. The doors are opened at the predictable hour for a Monday, and left so, wind blowing cold on into the worship hall. It's empty at this hour, or rather, it was until a few moments ago, the sounds of footsteps— far too many— filling the building. At least four sets, or rather, three, but Alicia has four feet as she runs on ahead down the stairwell from the offices. Behind her, an older black gentleman descends down and behind him is Joseph, hand nervously trailing the railing as they go.
"I hope you don't mind, and I appreciate that you told me right away," George Ashby is saying, adjusting his coat around himself. "But when I said take care of it, you know that doesn't stop at merely cleaning the walls."
Joseph clicks his fingers to summon his dog back to his side, gripping onto her collar so she doesn't go stomping on out into wider New York City. "Absolutely, I promise, it's bein' taken care of. I just didn't want the police to— "
"And you know I don't mean the police," is the pointed last comment, but it comes with a smile. "Do me a favour and think on it, alright? Take care." And the senior pastor is making his way out, Joseph letting out a held in sigh.
Ordinarily, Abigail's parked up near the front. Proximity to the pulpit = better devotion? No, not really, it's just where she and her parents always sat in church. This morning though, she's in the back, furthest that she can be, down in a corner. Not even had she gone home for the night. Sunday best, has been relegated to dirty Sunday best and she watches the older pastor make his way out and Joseph along with his canine compatriot still within the church. "Detective O'Shea is looking into what happened, with the grafitti. Off the record. I asked her, gave her pictures of the grafitti, and I think she's going to look into the security camera's of the adjacent buildings" if she was old enough to drink, and any other person, it's quite possibly once could think she's done a bar crawl this past evening.
Joseph is moving to shut the large freshly painted doors just as Abby speaks up, slightly startled that the place is not as empty as he'd first thought. "Oh— " A gesture as if to say 'one moment' before he closes the doors against the harsh weather completely. The sound of traffic dies down, and the click of paws against the wooden floors takes over as Alicia wanders to find an interesting place to settle down.
On the other hand, Joseph's focus is on Abigail, moving to stand at the opposite end of her chosen pew, eyes narrow in slight study as to her state of dress and rumpled demeanor. In contrast, the pastor is as ever impeccably groomed and dressed, resting a hand on the back of the pew. "That's good of you, thanks. I didn't catch you yesterday, everythin' alright?"
"No"
Blue eyes focusing up at the front of the church. "I got a broken scooter, which kept me from coming to service because I was too busy hanging on for dear life behind another man who was helping me fix it. Then I got a call to go help someone. Slept the afternoon away and… " Abigail looks upwards, presing her lips together. "It's gone Pastor Sumter. Gone. Just like that, in half a minute it's gone. His Gift? It's now in Flint Deckard. I was talking in the alley behind work with him and this man came up and… I don't even have x-ray vision. THat's what he has. I have nothing. I pray and there's.. nothing. But I touched Flint and … he has it. God gave his gift to him"
There's a beat that passes by wherein Joseph just watches her for a moment. Gone. Hands coming to clasp together, shoving aside the conversation he'd endured upstairs, Joseph moves amongst the pews to sit down a few feet from Abby, hesitating before saying:
"Unless the good Lord is appearin' to you as a man in an alley, I'd be— hesitant to say if He did anythin'. You're sayin' your power got switched on over into Flint?" Christ, Flint with faith healing, and a faith healer— the lines at his eyes deepen a little in a subtle wince of sympathy.
"More like the devil" Abigail shudders, interlacing fingers and then reversing the same action, over and over. "It's gone Pastor Sumter. IT's gone and I have all these people who.. who are relying on me. The hospital, my homeless people, nameless others. Eight years of doing his work and.. one man, on man takes it all away from me and I don't know what to do. Why it was done to me. and she warned me. She warned me about strangers but he was so quick and I tried to run away but still. I want it back. I need it back, I don't.. I don't know how to ..be.. with… without it"
And a little closer, Joseph shifts during Abigail's quietly frantic words, a hand easing out as if to touch but never makes it. So it turns into an offer, a hand turning with his palm up towards the high ceilings. It's almost like when he puts out a hand for people to take and receive a vision, but that's certainly not the purpose. "And you came to church," he says, quietly, a glance towards the distant pulpit and back to her. "Stead've runnin' around tryna find this man, you want answers?"
"I want to know why. Church always had the answers. He always gives me the answer, somehow. Because without it I don't.. I don't feel Him. It's like someone ripped out me" Blue eyes turn from the pulpit to the priest besides her. "Where would I find him? How would I find him. Would I just run around screaming 'where are you guy who took my gift, taken away a chunk of my faith, give it back please' and hope he answers? I don't even know what he looks like." The hand is not taken, left there to face upwards. "I came to what I know. I came.. to my cornerstone"
Joseph's fingers curl inwards, shaking his head. "I wasn' suggesting you go find him," he says, gently. "That— doesn't sound like any kind of good idea."
Just asking, is his tone of voice, but he certainly doesn't seem offended, just searching. The hand is withdrawn and Joseph shifts so his back rests against the pew, facing the pulpit as Abby had done. The morning is always the better hour for the church - even through cloud, the sun seems to just hit right, sending beaming sunlight over their heads and towards the front of the church, making wood blaze with vibrant earthy colour and the dust swirl like fairies in the brighter angles of light. "I was a pastor before I was any sort of— prophet, did I mention that?" he asks, absently.
Abigail nods. "That came up when we've talked, before. That you dindn't always" She wriggles her fingers at him the back for the pew in front of them.
Joseph nods once. "And I'd still be doing what I do, maybe even here in New York, if I never got that gift," he says, a half-smile alighting at the gesture from the redhead. "I'm not like you, I haven't been blessed that way for very long. Coupla years. I can't even imagine what this has to be like for you. But you should know that— you might not be able to lay your hands on someone and fix their wounds right now, but you're still a healin' force to be reckoned with, Abby. I saw that on Saturday, an' I've never experienced your ability."
"And you'll never experience it now, and if you ever had, it would have been a poor thing for it would have meant that you were hurt and Saturday, that was me calling in favors of those who I had helped and people of the parish and others who just walked along and saw all those hateful words and wanted to help erase them" Abigail glances over once again to Joseph. "It's like.. it's like Apple and pie. You don't have one without the other. Abigail without… His touch" She just wants to just throw her head back and scream her head off.
"I'm not talkin' about the words on the walls. I'm talkin' about you and your ability to help, to touch people without needin' your faith healing to do good," Joseph states, firmly. "Everythin's a test, Abigail, and I have no doubt that your gift'll be returned to you in good time." He sounds certain, and in a world of cynical New Yorkers who might need reason and logic behind such claims, faith is a powerful motivator. "I don't think He'd intend to take such a good thing away forever."
His brows furrow as he studies her, and has to ask, "You don't think He's punishin' you, now do you?"
"I.." Does she? "yes" Abigail offers up. "That I've been taking him for granted, taking what I can do for granted, not showing him the proper due and respect that He deserves. Why else would it be done? I've not been… I healed a man yesterday, he did terrible horrible things, but he.. he repents, he feels remorse and he wanted my absolution and I gave it. I've absolved a man who's tried to kill me repeatedly and I did, and we prayed and I gave him back his hand. I told him that my forgiveness isn't God's forgiveness, that he still had to answer to him. What if.. Sweet heavens I'm so.. so.. Empty and confused"
"I'm sorry," Joseph says, regret in his voice. As if it were somehow his fault she's feeling so, or perhaps his fault he can't exactly shut it down so easily. Knowing he's probably not meant to. "Your faith is strong, Abigail. I see it every service. If someone were takin' their ability for granted, not payin' respect to the Lord for their gifts, then I expect a church is the last place they'd go. It's okay to feel empty, confused; I suspect it's not meant to be easy."
He doesn't want to say, it's not a punishment, because that's between her and God Almighty, but the implication lies in his tone. "Who knows, maybe Flint'll learn a thing or two," he adds, settling back against the seat.
"No he won't Abigail replies, a hint of anger in her voice. "He didn't come when I called and asked for his help for to clean up the outside of the church. He'll use it to fix himself up, and only himself. He won't go do good with it, he'll just park at the light house and he'll just … squander it!"
… <:/
Joseph glances towards Abby, worry written into his expression. "I don't— know about that," he says after a moment, before adding, with a mutter, "And— hell, maybe he could do with fixing himself some." He lets out a sigh. "He had a vision of you helpin' him. Maybe this is— one way of doin' that. Don't let this tear you apart, Abigail. Both of you. And in the meantime I encourage you to make your own fate, get your gift back, but have faith. Things like this— they happen for a reason. Could be there's somethin' to be learned in it, not just suffering. I don't think that's somethin' God would have in mind for you."
"I don't know how to .. go about getting it back" The red head sighs with him. Have faith, how many times had she parroted that to anyone and everyone. "He's on Staten Island. I don't go over there. I won't go over there. He'll be staying there to avoid me and he said he'd been away for a bit and needed to make sure Brian didn't fire him" So the odds of her seeing Flint were slim to none. "I'll figure something out. I always land on my feet." Up to her feet the defunct healer rises with a yawn. "I should sleep. Sleep refreshes the mind and gives you fresh perspective" She can try and figure something out. "God won't make me endure it alone, that is for sure" She can take comfort in that.
"No He won't," Joseph agrees, only moving to stand once she's moved passed him, so as not to block the way out. Alicia, however, will require stepping over, the large dog coming to rest at the end of the pew when Abigail heads for the aisle. "Abby," the pastor says, to gain back her attention once more. "Know this isn't forever, alright? You have friends you've helped in the past. Only seems right they'll help you right back."
Over the bear of a beast the woman shifts, reaching down as she goes to give Alicia due attention. "Maybe they will. Time will tell in all things yes?" Her fingernails scratching in the spots behind the ears. "I should go home, change. Sleep. I'll be here on Wednesday Pastor Sumter. I'll leave Detective O'Shea's card later, so you can call her with questions." Enough attention give to Alicia, a little dip and bow towards the pulpit once she's out of the pew proper.
The dog lifts her head a few inches to receive the skritches, pale pink tongue lolling out of her large mouth in wheezy panting in gratitude before her muzzle is set down onto her paws again. Joseph only nods to the redhead in a show of thanks and adds, "Take care of yourself. Sleep easy."
"You too Pastor Sumter. God bless"