On Loving Josiah by Olivia Fane Read Free Book Online

according to the Russian Orthodox Church, the very best kind of prayer.’
    ‘But who do you pray to, Eve?’
    ‘A good question. Gibson and I were just discussing that very point. But when anyone prays, do they know who it is they are praying to? I would call that very presumptuous. Gibson, do you know who you pray to when you pray? One prays to creation, to good will, to benevolence, destiny, I bow down to destiny, I surrender , I am flotsam and jetsam being tossed on the sea, O Michael, can’t you see how wholly religious I am? And my point is this. Would you like to be a godfather? O Gibson, wouldn’t he make a wonderful godfather? You are, indeed, an answer to a prayer I made earlier, and you, without me knowing it, were the very person I was praying to… O Dr Fothering, Michael, don’t you see how important it was that you came?’
    ‘I don’t know whether I wish it to be important, Eve,’ said Dr Fothering, from the heart. ‘I was hoping I would be unimportant. Or at least, not relevant. I’m not making myself clear. I came as afriend Eve, not as your doctor. Because you don’t need a doctor. You’re a woman, and a mother. You’re strong. You seem so strong!’
    ‘My dear Michael!’ exclaimed Eve, equally from the heart, ‘I honestly don’t know what you’re on about. If you remember, I asked you if you’d be a godfather!’
    ‘I will,’ said Dr Fothering, wishing to make progress.
    ‘The right answer! We’ll have the ceremony straightaway. We’re going to baptize him in Holy Spirit, we were just saying that whatever you believe and whoever you pray to you can’t go wrong with the Holy Spirit and look what I’ve got!’
    Eve proudly presented him with a mug of vodka, and mouthed the magic word. ‘The three of us shall have a sip, then we’ll make the sign of the cross on Josiah’s forehead, and then we’ll make a wish for him, how does that sound?’
    ‘Blasphemous, I think.’
    ‘Oh nothing is blasphemous if you don’t intend it to be!’ pronounced Eve. ‘Perhaps we should call him Josiah Michael after you? On second thoughts, “Michael” is a bit weak, a bit Mummy’s boy, no offence meant, Dr Fothering. I’ve got it! We shall call him “Horatio”! Josiah Horatio Nelson. Now, did a finer name exist than that, I ask you?’
    ‘No,’ said Dr Fothering, ‘That’s a very fine name. Very fine.’ He was sipping thankfully at the vodka.
    ‘And we need your advice Dr Fothering! We hadn’t decided on the virtues Josiah was going to be blessed with – no, I lie, we decided that Josiah wasn’t to have any virtues, didn’t we Gibson, though I can’t for the life of me remember why.’
    Gibson looked at her pleadingly.
    ‘You’re right!’ she said, ‘because he’s both beautiful and good already! What more in life could one possibly want?’
    Then Eve began to stroke the baby as he slept in his father’s arms, and really quite affectionately too, and there was a moment’s relieffor the poor doctor, before she sat bolt upright and exclaimed, ‘I remember! Dr Fothering, do you think it’s better to be the object or subject of sexual desire?’
    And Dr Fothering, in sudden despair, retorted, ‘I think it’s better not to have any at all.’
    ‘Dr Fothering,’ cried Eve in disbelief, ‘you’re not yourself!’
    ‘Call me Michael, Goddammit! So what if it is a namby-pamby name, call me Michael.’
    ‘Oh Michael!’ cried Eve, taking up his hand in her own. ‘You must have had a terrible journey, and I’m so grateful to you for making it!’
    ‘Yes, it’s true,’ mumbled Dr Fothering, ‘the traffic was bad.’
    ‘There is nothing more soul-destroying than a traffic jam. Tell me, is your soul quite destroyed, Michael?’
    ‘Yes,’ he said, because ‘yes’ was the path of least resistance.
    ‘So all the time I was creating a new, living, vital soul, yours was being destroyed! How are we to re-distribute ourselves? By you becoming Josiah’s godfather, of