Great Grandma: a
Catholic, saintly woman. She is head of Nathan’s family, a Cajun woman. Her
husband of fifty-years died last month.
Gloria Solace: is
Nathan’s wife. She is a sociologist at a prestigious University in California,
a European lady.
Nathan Solace: is
a mulatto man, with a M.A. in psychology.
Place
Glory and Nathan Solace ring the doorbell, Great Grandma answers and invites them into her well-kept home.
Time
Takes place around
six months ago. This would put us in November 2020.
Great Grandma:
Nicholas was quite fresh with you, Gloria. I’m sure Nathan was peeved.
Glory: He meant no
harm. He’s a bit playful.
Great Grandma: We
see only vaguely, soon we shall see our faces.
Glory: Yes, Great Grandma
Solace.
Great Grandma:
Nathan, how have you managed—with our recent loss? Times are changing. Covid-19
is taking lives. Sanford was good!
Nathan: We’ve come
to discuss something keen. I feel it. Great Grandfather would disagree with all
the popular inconsistency.
Glory: Time has
provoked us. As a devote catholic, I wonder if it’s harder on you.
Great Grandma: It
becomes religious for me. I imagine a coming, a gathering. I imagine Sanford
smiling on me. You know Nathan is concerned?
Glory: I do know.
We talk at times. As you know, I was raised Baptist, just as Nathan. For this
reason, we are swayed by eschatological documents.
Great Grandma: I never
claim absolute knowledge, but I do claim absolute fear. Nathan has always been
a curious seed—so filled with zest—finding you, Gloria, was his blessing. I
know you two have hard thoughts, but no one is watching closer than you watch
yourselves.
Nathan: What’s on
your mind, Momma? Why did you call us over?
Great Grandma:
Some imagine me as meddlesome. But pain strikes its deepness.
Glory: What’s
wrong?
Nathan: A tear for
us!
Great Grandma: I
read your blog, Nathan. I came across some trouble. You know, we give beauty to
people in sorrow. You take concern with deaths—let those poisons go! Learn to
fly again—where wings aren’t great speculation.
Nathan: So much
condition! Our central imaginings. It changes us as time goes by. I find myself
inactive, but occupied.
Great Grandma: The
river just is, as birds just are, while too unwise to witness death. Humans are
different, we give best our years to worries. Who are you, Nathan? Why have you
come? What are you giving to wearied souls?
Glory: Nathan is
concerned by time and condition—pain and redemption.
