Beauty Rising by Mark W Sasse Read Free Book Online Page B

onto the floor, the whole time yelling curses and threats at the top of his lungs. I truly was frightened. The whole neighborhood lit up. The Perkins were standing on their front porch across the street. Reverend Coonsley showed up, and when he couldn’t get your dad to settle down, finally yelled to the Perkins to call the police. Your dad kept up his tantrum for another five minutes and then finally went back down the stairs and got into his car. Just as he backed out, the squad car pulled up and your dad had another incident, this time with the police. They arrested him for disorderly conduct and let him sleep it off in jail overnight. Of course, I never pressed charges, but they warned Martin to stay away from me. Your dad never came back to church. Maggie was right. The war changed him tremendously, and of course my actions toward his girl just reinforced his doubts about life, faith, and God. Your grandmother Maggie stopped going to our church after that as well. She started attending one over on Main Street in Butler. I believe she did it out of respect for her son, who struggled to come to grips with what I had done. Your dad never did start going to church again anywhere. About two months after that, I saw in the Butler Eagle that your mom and dad had eloped. I never talked with them again –– ever. When I spoke to your mother at the funeral, it was the first time in nearly thirty years. I would run into Maggie from time to time and we would chat about how they were doing. She always seemed very concerned for them. Maggie passed away in ’73 when you were only…”
    “A year old,” I said.
    Reverend Fox nodded.
    “Maggie was quick to show me a picture of her grandson that’s for sure. So, Martin, I can’t speak for your parents or for the type of upbringing you experienced. I can only relay to you of what I knew of them. Your dad walked away from his faith because of Vietnam and because of me, and I don’t know what else. Your mother and I experienced a very painful relationship which put a tremendous strain on her relationship with your dad. And then, of course, she had to cope with being with a person who had changed greatly due to the scars of war. No doubt, the foundation they built their marriage on was rocky at best. But I guess they stuck with it, and stuck together with each other all these years.”
    I certainly didn’t want to speculate with the Reverend about why my parent’s marriage did last all those years. I couldn’t even begin to guess why.
    “Martin, I don’t know if that long rambling story will help you or not, but I felt it important for you to know the truth. I’m sorry if I caused your family undue pain and suffering. It was never my intent. And I truly meant what I said about your father at the funeral. He will always be a hero to me.”
    “Thank you, Reverend Fox. Your story means a lot to me. I’m really glad you were willing to be part of my dad’s funeral.”
    I stood up, shook his hand, and left the parsonage. As I got to the front sidewalk, I glanced over my right shoulder and saw the garage and the apartment with its white rising wooden staircase. It was all too easy to imagine my dad making a scene, yelling, cursing, and getting arrested. That part seemed normal. What I couldn’t imagine was my mother as a young woman sneaking into that apartment to spend the night with Reverend Fox.
    The brisk air sent a shiver up my spine. Very appropriate , I thought.

On My Way

    My mother was never much of a drinker. But for the two days immediately following the disastrous funeral, she kept a bottle of bourbon within arm’s reach. I stayed out of her way, and we exchanged very little except glances over those next forty eight hours. They say that when a person is missing that the first forty eight hours is the most crucial. I know this wasn’t the same situation, but I wondered if I should have tried to talk with her. I wondered if I should try and step in to make sure she