A Cry for Hire

A Cry for Hire Part 2

A CRY FOR HIRE

William stood warming himself by the fireplace in the living room. Absent-mindedly removing his collar and in the firelight, he looked every inch as handsome, slender, boyish, and holy as the day she first saw him. 

“Liam,” she said, dusting off her jeans. (She thought it best not to discuss the portal. Liam would’ve wanted to explore. Then when he saw the large window, he would've freaked out because he was afraid of heights. She figured she'd keep his mind on the situation at hand: his neglect of her.) “You’re home at last?”

He sighed and turned his slate blue eyes to her. “I’m so sorry, Pie,” he said with a guiltless smile. “It simply couldn’t be helped.” He pointed to the center coffee table which was covered from one end to the other with bags overflowing with baked goods. “The altar guild sent these for you. They were sorry you couldn’t make it.”

“I would’ve made it if you’d come for me after the meeting,” she said, feeling a pout on her face.

“One thing led to another,” he said, in a voice that almost-but-not quite pleaded for her to stop.

“And if they really wanted me to come they would’ve driven over and picked me up. They have insisted on rejecting me. Ever since I challenged them on their silly political and theological views.”

“Now, Pie, don't tell me I've married a scold!” His slender fingers pushed aside his neck-length hair. Then he winked at her. “You know how things are.” 

Of course she knew how things were. But did he? Her health had suffered because of Yasuko. That he knew. She had had a minor stroke on hearing of the affair. That he knew. Yes, he understood all that. He had cried his eyes out when she was in the hospital. And yet. . . it's the way the world is. Even if one lived with a sufferer, even if one was the cause of that suffering, one did not quite understand. The inability to see all the 360 degrees of the coin. But he, Liam, should have understood, because she was alone in that part of the world, alone among those narrow-minded church people he shepherde__

His voice interrupted her thoughts. “And then I had to see Yasuko.”

“Of course.” Her voice was intentionally flat, then she raised it again. “She needs you.” 

He hugged her neck tightly and stroked her arms as he held her close. “Now, don’t be like that. I know you need me as well. But, my love, she’s dying. And... well...she has been my lover, hasn't she?” Really, only Liam could get away with saying something like that. 

“Perhaps if she repented of her adultery and if you --a minister—also repented…perhaps your prayer might actually work,” she said snidely.

He frowned. “You’re nasty when you’re jealous.” 

“Yeah. Whatever.”

It had never been easy being a minister’s wife, but Liam and Novella had endured each other’s quirks with peaceful equanimity. At least before Yasuko. When the affair began, he often seemed to be urging himself to be impatient with Novella’s every little fault. He had obviously forgotten her patience when he chose to serve in Idaho, had bought the old roadhouse, and had forced her to live in a moldy, damp trailer for two winters while the residential part of their home was being renovated. Worse yet, he had also conveniently forgotten her patience when he informed her that that he had taken out a $29,000 loan, used all their savings and the renovation money in a vain attempt to save Yasuko’s life. Surely the arrogant, finger-waving collection calls Novella daily endured from creditors because of his “little gaffe” showed her to be quite patient indeed! 

Liam looked behind her toward the dumbwaiter, frowned and changed the subject. “But you had fun while I was away, looks like.”

She smiled non-chalantly and took the bags of baked goods to the kitchen. Well, at least with the church ladies around, she wouldn’t starve.