I Am The Local Atheist by Warwick Stubbs Read Free Book Online Page B

search for work was working out, or
walking to the grocery store and carrying my bags back home. The
last few months had involved a few too many cheesecakes-on-special
appearing in my grocery bags, and then being transferred into rolls
of fat onto my body where I had never seen rolls of fat before. So
at least it felt good to be working all those cheesecake rolls off
and being the middle-man between the transference of cheesecake
into the completing of a job.
    Lunch arrived after I had transferred four whole loads in the
car from the original building to the new one, taking my time with
the loading because I knew that I’d be making up for it as I ran
through the unloading. I sat in the car and turned the radio on. It
was already tuned into a mainstream radio station. I dialled
through several channels until it landed on a Christian channel
where a man was preaching about the Old Testament. My first
reaction was to quickly dial past it but I thought that perhaps I
needed to listen, since it had been such a long time since I had
put any faith in
The Bible.
    “ He makes us slaves because he has a higher purpose, a higher
purpose that will serve us all as we serve him. Some people used to
believe in the idea of slavedom, the concept of being a servant to
God as though domination over your will was an acceptable way for
God to love you. But is it? Wouldn’t you expect love to come from a
friend? Someone who accepts you and showers you with love every
day, every minute, every second, every micro second so you are
never confused by fear and mislead into the arms of Satan. Humans
used to be slaves, but slaves are ruled by fear and bondage; Jesus
came to us with love to free us, so we could finally realise God
through our individuality – not through fear, and certainly not
bondage…”
    I felt
somewhat confused. I had never considered myself to be a slave the
way that some people I had met had. I had always felt like a
recipient of God’s love, and a willing servant to his will – but
never a slave. Now I didn’t know what I felt anymore. It certainly
wasn’t love. The confusion was amplified by the fact that Lisa had
come back into my life, a person who I had helped and supported,
but had turned her back on me just like everyone else had a year
and a half ago.
    I rested my
head in my hands giving it a good shake as I stood up with the
intention of going back to work but the break had sapped me of all
my enthusiasm and I stood there like a zombie, my eyes drooping
into unconsciousness.
    “ Getting in an early mid-afternoon nap, David?” Christie
appeared with a young man at her side.
    I shook my
head feeling groggy. “Yeah sorry about that.”
    “ Don’t worry about it.” She turned to the person beside her.
“This is Lucas-Anthony. He’s one of our casual volunteers who helps
out every now and then.”
    I reached out
my hand and we shook, eyeing each other up.
    “ Just call me Lucas if you want.”
    “ Thanks” I said letting go of his hand.
    Christie continued on. “Lucas- Anthony will be coming and going over
the next few days helping to put some appliances and furnishings
into the other rooms. He said that he’s quite happy to help out if
you need a hand with anything.”
    “ Just yell out anytime I’m around.”
    I smiled.
“Sure.”
    Christie asked
“How’s it all going anyway?”
    “ Alright. I’m just not used to the fuckin’ work. Done fuck-all
exercise for more than a year now.”
    She looked
like she was chewing her tongue.
    Lucas-Anthony
was holding in a laugh.
    I must have
looked confused.
    Christie
smiled very generously. “Don’t worry about it David, people use
foul language around me all the time.” She screwed her nose up like
a mouse and tipped her head to the side. “I’m kinda used to it
now.”
    Oh shit! I just hadn’t thought about
it. Fuck, I mean a whole year around stuff-all people, not
conversing with anyone except my flatmates – a gamer and a dealer;
a Work & Income