Stealing God by James Green Read Free Book Online Page A

a joke, but from Jimmy any joke was a good sign and deserved encouragement.
    â€˜If we take Jimmy’s metaphor of a mild and bitter God, my problem, Ron, is that the words of the Mass say that He came to share in our humanity. Let’s say human beings are the mild beer.’
    â€˜So?’
    â€˜So does that mean that prior to his birth on earth Jesus was all bitter beer? No mild? In no way human? Did his humanity, the mild, only begin at the Incarnation, his birth?’
    Ron thought about it for a minute.
    â€˜I suppose so. No, hang on, that’s not right, at least I don’t think that’s right.’
    Danny laughed.
    â€˜See what I mean now?’
    â€˜Not really, I’m not like you, I like to keep things simple so I don’t ask the awkward questions. The way I look at it, if you’re never likely to get asked the question why bother to find the answer?’
    â€˜But what if you ask yourself the question?’
    Ron was stumped and fell silent but Jimmy took over.
    â€˜You know what your trouble is, Danny?’
    â€˜You already told me, I think too much.’
    â€˜That’s right. You’re cursed with an enquiring mind. Maybe it comes from having been a copper.’
    â€˜You were a copper too, so how come you don’t have an enquiring mind?’
    â€˜I was a lot of things, but now I’m just a student. I keep my head down, do as I’m told, and don’t ask any questions except the ones I’m told to ask.’
    Danny took a small sip of his espresso.
    â€˜Let the dead past bury its dead, eh? Well it’s not a bad rule when you get to our age. None of us is without a few things we’d rather leave behind, and with some of us maybe it’s more than a few.’
    Ron decided it was time to change the subject.
    â€˜Do you miss the wife, Jimmy?’
    Jimmy looked at him. What sort of a bloody question was that? But he kept any hint of anger out of his voice. Ron might be stupid, but he meant no harm.
    â€˜Every day, Ron, only every day.’
    â€˜You know, you’ve opened up more in the past three weeks than you did in the previous eight months. Ever since you got hauled in to see your rector, it’s as if you’re a different bloke. It must have been a real heart to hearter, that meeting.’
    Ron wasn’t really stupid, thought Jimmy; he was just a simple soul. He’d probably be a good priest because he was too thoughtless to notice what havoc a few careless words could do. He just got on with it and said whatever came into his mind.
    â€˜It was an interesting meeting in a way. I finally found out I should try and see things differently, let myself go a bit. Let people know who I am, who I want to be.’
    Danny looked at him with serious eyes.
    â€˜Ron’s right, you’re more open now, more trusting. I think that must have been a big thing to take on. I hope it works for you, I really hope it does.’ He took another sip of his coffee, but the unspoken doubt in Danny’s words brought a period of silence. Then a fashion-plate of a man walked into the bar and came over to their table. He took off his designer sunglasses, slipped them into the top pocket of his short-sleeved shirt, and smiled. He had a nice smile. The three men looked at him but he looked only at Jimmy.
    â€˜Hello, Jimmy. Got a minute, outside?’
    There was no accent today. Jimmy paused; let Danny and Ron know this was a copper or leave it as an English bloke who wanted a word? Leave it.
    â€˜Sure.’ Jimmy stood up. ‘Be seeing you, lads.’ He finished the beer in his glass and pushed the half-full bottle across to Ron. ‘There you are, Ron, a bonus for you.’ He took his glass to the bar and nodded to the barman. The barman ignored the nod and gave his back the same suspicious look as Jimmy walked to the door where Adonis in a silk shirt and chinos waited. Outside the bar Ricci put on his sunglasses and