10-06-2014, 02:55 PM
Calvin's reaction to the lemonade lit a brief spark of memory within Jensen. It burned bright and hot one moment, lighting his veins on joyous fire, but like a real spark, dissipated quickly after. Calvin's melancholy was formidable. Yet some sort of strange armor protected Jensen from infecting him. He'd done what he was meant to do tonight. Ever since taking on this new lifestyle, he'd grown more and more at ease with being in his own skin. He couldn't help it. Fulfillment seemed possible.
He noticed his Wallet had a message, but he pushed the device aside for now and joined Calvin instead. The other man was weary and forlorn beyond even the satisfying quench of his aunt's lemonade.
He answered truthfully. It was this new thing Jensen was attempting - being truthful. It was perhaps a strange commitment for a pastor, but Jensen was a habitual liar, even if it was mostly to himself.
"I was there for a simple reason, Calvin. I thought they needed help. I was going to call the police, but all too often, it would have been too late. I couldn't walk by without trying to help."
Jensen's expression softened as he thought about the harm that might have been done to him. The side of his leg felt bruised, but he'd learned to take a fall by the time he was seven. Dirt bikes were like that. So as he continued, there wasn't so much a flicker of fear on his face, merely the sort of compassion he urged his followers to devote to one another. "You could have hurt me, but you didn't. An easy mistake to make, and I forgive you for it."
He offered his glass as though to toast. "The important thing is they are safe and another criminal is in police custody. It's a complicated thing to say what we do or don't deserve. When it comes to kindness, I want to think I treat you as kindly as I would my own mother."
He noticed his Wallet had a message, but he pushed the device aside for now and joined Calvin instead. The other man was weary and forlorn beyond even the satisfying quench of his aunt's lemonade.
He answered truthfully. It was this new thing Jensen was attempting - being truthful. It was perhaps a strange commitment for a pastor, but Jensen was a habitual liar, even if it was mostly to himself.
"I was there for a simple reason, Calvin. I thought they needed help. I was going to call the police, but all too often, it would have been too late. I couldn't walk by without trying to help."
Jensen's expression softened as he thought about the harm that might have been done to him. The side of his leg felt bruised, but he'd learned to take a fall by the time he was seven. Dirt bikes were like that. So as he continued, there wasn't so much a flicker of fear on his face, merely the sort of compassion he urged his followers to devote to one another. "You could have hurt me, but you didn't. An easy mistake to make, and I forgive you for it."
He offered his glass as though to toast. "The important thing is they are safe and another criminal is in police custody. It's a complicated thing to say what we do or don't deserve. When it comes to kindness, I want to think I treat you as kindly as I would my own mother."