Head Cheese

Touched

Angela was standing in line waiting patiently. She couldn't see the stage over so many heads in front of her but she did hear the towering voice of the Reverend Jebidiah " From God almighty, through me , he heals thee." He bellowed "Praise the lord" and hallelujahs sporadically came over the thundering applause. All the noise faded to the background as Angela's thoughts played loudly in her head. She was so excited to be healed. She was sure this would work better than any doctors poking and prodding. She had always been faithful to the lord and tried to follow all the scriptures lessons. Satan had tempted her many times throughout her life.
Once in a moment of weakness, and peer pressure, she drew in the devil's smoke from a cigarette and choked for hours while tears of shame ran down her cheeks. She knew she had sinned and Satan himself had burned into her lungs. She coughed until she was certain that all of the devils smoke was expelled. Before the cigarette and after she had always been good so she was confident God would heal her.
Angela smiled as she thought of her and Thomas having a baby, creating their own family. Her mind came back to the here and now as she climbed the stairs to the stage.
Sitting among the believers was Thomas. Though he wasn't a religious man. He never experienced anything that would sway him to be. He believed science would help them. He was there to honor his part of the deal. If he came here then Angela would go to the clinic with him tomorrow for tests to see why no children yet.
Thomas stood up to see the reverends hands clasping Angela's cheeks. In a gravelly deep voice the reverend was saying something but Thomas couldn't make out the words. It wasn't that he couldn't hear him, it just wasn't English he was speaking. The voice coming over the sound system became louder and louder as the speakers began to crackle and pop. Many in the congregation covered their ears as the noise became too painful to bare. The lights started flickering off and on rapidly. Every flash got brighter and brighter until the bulbs began to explode and rain down glass on the congregation. Thomas was fighting his way to the stage not taking his eyes off Angela. When he got to the foot of the stage the last bulb burst leaving the auditorium in total darkness all except for the glow of Angela's and Jebidiahs heads. It was a translucent green hue. The kind that comes when a glow stick is snapped. Thomas felt certain he was witnessing the love of his life die before his eyes but yet he couldn't move. Frozen he stared up at them. Blood ran from the reverends eyes. The dark tracks streaming down his cheeks blocked out the florescent light . Then as if a switch was thrown everything went dark as the reverend took his last breath.

Since the incident, time had past, the reverends funeral had passed, Thomas and Angela's testing was done.
The phone rang and Thomas looked down at the caller Id. The Lagon medical center illuminated on the led screen. Thomas picked up the phone and Angela intensely listened to the one sided conversation. "Yes it is" Thomas said. Followed by a few more yeses and your sure there's no mistake? Another sure theres no mistake to there has to be an error. Then in resolve he thanked the doctor and said goodbye. Thomas slowly laid the phone down staring at it so long Angela knew it couldn't be good news. She reached for Thomas' hand. He pulled his hand away from hers. "What'd he say? Angela snapped out of hurt from his rejection. She could see tears well up in his eyes as he still stared at the phone. The hurt faded and overwhelming fear shot through her. She wanted to hug him but held back and whispered. " We're going to be ok Tom". Thomas looked up from the phone to Angela. The tears had left his eyes and now ran down his cheeks. "I'm sterile " he paused. "Your fertile". Thomas's lips thined." So fertile you're pregnant. " "what! No ."
Angela said shaking her head in disbelief. " Something's wrong, theres gotta be a mistake . They got our tests mixed up with some one else's. " Thomas's pain turned to anger. "Who's the father? " he asked. Angel took a step back "How dare you!" She paused. " Thomas you cant be thinking that. The tests have to be screwed up. We'll get another doctor. Get test redone somewhere else."

Since the phone call time had passed. New tests came back with the same results. The divorce had passed. And Chips 9th birthday had passed.

Back when Angela was pregnant she tried to explain to friends and family that this baby must be the product of God. She didn't want them thinking Thomas was evil for leaving in her time of need so she told them everything. "He just didnt believe enough in her and God to stick around" she would say. After enough strange looks and whispers (even from her mom) she decided to stop trying to explain it to anyone. She knew the truth and knew that one day the world would too.
Chip never asked about his dad. It was like he just knew. His grandma said he had an old soul. An observer, he just watched and learned. For his birthday his grandmother had bought him a dog. " Chip will have a companion, it'll teach him responsibility " she argued to Angela. Angela wanted no part of a dog. She knew who would be taken care of it. But she soon melted once she saw how excited Chip was. "What are you going to name him? She asked. "Jeb" Chip answered. Since Jeb entered Chips life they were inseparable.
One day while playing in the backyard a bird kept swooping down at Jeb. The Red breasted cone tail saw him as a threat because she had a nest with four baby birds chirping on a tree branch right above Jeb's head. The bird swooped down again when Jeb leapt up and caught the bird midflight."No" Chip yelled as he ran over to Jeb. Jeb dropped the bird at his feet. The bird rolled on to it's back one wing flapping as it tried to right itself. Chip saw that a tooth had pierced the bird's eye. He picked up the bird and ran into the house to his mother. "Look what Jeb did" Chip said as he held the bird up to his mother. Angela saw the blood on its head. "Follow me" she said as she walked to the paper towel rack. As she wiped off the birds head one of the talons got away from Chips grasp and sliced into her hand . Angela pulled back "ouch dam he got me good." She said as she grabbed another paper towel and wrapped it around her hand. "He's a she. Shes got a nest with babies."Chip informed his mom. But she wasnt listening. "Look Chip. His eye is scabbed over. I wonder where the blood came from? This looks like an old wound. Weird. " She said. Chip lost his grip and the bird flew around the room in circles until it found the siding door Chip had left open. He ran to the door in time to see her back in the nest with her babies. "Jeb" Chip called out in a stern voice. He was ready to give Jeb a scolding when Jeb came around from the side of the house with a squirrel in his mouth. "Put it down, what's wrong with you.? Why are you hurting things?" he yelled. Jeb dropped the squirrel. It tried pulling itself along by its front legs dragging its hind ones. His back seemed broken paralyzing it's back legs. Chip swung at Jeb missing him on purpose. He bent down and started petting the squirrels head hoping to calm him. It seemed to work. The squirrel seemed to relax with every stroke. The squirrel then pulled its hind legs up and sat. Chip stopped petting and they both stared at each other for a minute. The squirrel turned and ran up the tree and sat next to the bird with the scarred over eye. Together they sat looking down at Chip ,Chip looking up at them. In a flash of awakening Chip realized Jeb was teaching him, teaching him to heal.
The next day Chip and his mom were driving to town when Chip suddenly screamed out "Stop" "What's wrong?" His mom asked startled. "Just stop, stop ,please stop" Chip begged. Angela saw how he had his face against the widow looking back and thought if I dont he just might jump out. She no sooner that she came to a stop, on the shoulder of the road, Chip was out of the car and running back down the road. As Angela ran after him she saw a dead deer beyond Chip. Once he reached it he knelt down and put his hands on the dead deer. Angela yelled out. "Chip what are you doing ! Dont touch it !" He continued holding his hands on the deer. Angela grabbed his arm and applied pressure to coax him to stand. "Let's go Chip. It's dead. It happens". " I can heel it." He whispered. Angela's pull on his arm eased. Softly she said. "No Chip. It's sad but it's dead. Theres nothing we can do." They both sat in the gravel of the shoulder for several minutes. Chip muttering over and over "I can heal it. I can." Eventually through his exhaustion he began to sob quietly. Angela stood, silent tears running done her cheeks. Holding out her hand to Chip she said. "Let's go hun." Chip slowly took his moms hand and rose to his feet. Hand in hand they walked back to the car. Chip was holding his mother's hand, the same one that the one eyed bird had torn. As they walked, it slowly heeled.

Since that day, time passed. Jeb passed. Angela passed. Chip could heel but he couldn't stop the aging process. So Chip spent his life doing what he did best, he healed. To keep it a secret he became a Janitorial engineer cleaning hospitals. What better place to heal then a hospital.
No chicken gizzards on a stage for him. Sneaking into patients rooms on the pretense of cleaning, Chip quietly healed.
One day Chip entered a room and saw a familiar face. Since children's hospital he cured her of cancer. Now in her twenties and back for the fifth time. Chip said with a wink." You just cant stay away from me aye?" Hope smiled. Chip knew Hope, her heart was good, kind and had suffered enough to know a blessing when she got one. Chip also knew how to end this. He laid his head on the pillow ,nose to nose with Hope. Chip cupped each of her cheeks and whispered. " From God almighty, through me, he heals thee. " Those were the last words Hope understood coming out of Chip . The rest were another language as far as she could tell. The lights started to flicker faster and faster until they burst. Out of the darkness Chips head began to glow.