One Fucked Up World

Chapter Two

Two

Jen's Cafe was always crowded on Sundays because people would go there after the service.

     There was a Catholic church nearby, Jennifer always got Max to sing with the choir, just like today. Max, who sat next to me,, was cursing before the priest called up the choir members. The sister sat in front of Max glared at him .

     "Jennifer threatened firing me," Max had told me the night before.

     I thought had Max missed a note, he seemed to be singing the wrong verse after that. He looked pale. Anne was wearing a pretty red dress, and she was grinning. Jennifer clapped the loudest when the singing was over. Harry was sitting next to me, he only came to the church because Max was singing.

     "Max hates singing," Harry whispered.

     "No, I think he likes it, because Anne does," I said. Anne hugged him when the service was over, and Jennifer came to hug him as well. We all went to Jen's Cafe together then.

     Harry and Max started working in the kitchen, they had a Sunday shift. Anne asked me to go shopping with her, but Jennifer asked if we wanted to decorate her wheelchair and I wanted to. Anne suddenly remembered meeting a friend later and had to leave now.

     Anne was very polite when she told us, but I was not sure if that was true. I asked her to have fun anyway.

     "How do you want me to decorate it?" I asked.

     "Well, sweetheart, thank you for staying with me. I have to um, let me see," Jennifer thought for a while. She took out some blue fabric from a cupboard. "Can you cut the word 'Forgiveness' and pasted it below 'Faith'?"

     "Sure, could I put some flower patterns as well?"

     "Of course! That will look nice, won't it?" Jennifer said. The fabric was smooth and silky.

     "Why did you want to stick that word suddenly? Why not other words?"

     "I had a dream last night, and I dreamt of my daughter. I dreamt of her coming back and I didn't forgive her," Jennifer said. "I woke up and I remembered forgiveness is very important, and I had to remind myself that."

     "You won't see the word 'cause it's in the back," I said when I finished cutting the F.

     "Maybe, but some other people will. It doesn't just remind myself," Jennifer said, she poured me some tea around the table. Somebody with funny hair said hello to her.

     "I thought she was studying overseas. Your daughter," I said.

     "I thought so too," Jennifer sighed, it made me sad to look at her face. "She ran away, with a boy. Left her studies."

     "Maybe you shouldn't forgive her."

     "Why, dear, would you say that?" Jennifer frowned at me. "Forgiveness is a two way ride. It's important."

     "Everybody says that, but think about it. If somebody does something and he hurts you, he will become like your enemy and you can't do anything but hate. And you can forgive someone but you can't stop remembering what they have done and you will keep hating them. And I know Oscar Wilde said we should always forgive our enemies because nothing annoys them so much, but what if those enemies, who are not evil, just take your forgiveness like it's nothing? It will be a waste then. And why waste forgiveness?"

     "Why would you think that?" Jennifer asked. "That is not very nice, to hate somebody."

     "I know, but people do because they are hurt," I replied.