“Yeah.” I nodded, adding, “I’m Ethan Antonio Giovanni Callahan, first son of Liam Alec Callahan and Melody Nicci Giovanni Callahan. Are you new to this church?”
He didn’t reply, so I knocked on the screen.
“Why are you scared?”
When I spoke, he sat up straighter and focused in on me. “I’m not scared.”
“You’re lying…you should confess that.”
His whole jolly priest shtick went away when he spoke again. “Understanding who your parents are, I now see why you are so ill-mannered and pompous at such a young age.”
Hurt him!
I wanted to, but I kept talking instead. “Who do you think my parents are? I’m sure—”
“It’s not who I think they are. It’s who they are. Murderers.”
“So?” I asked him.
“So? So?”
I nodded. “Moses was a murderer. King David was a murderer. Actually almost everyone in the Bible is a murderer…except Jesus. But since he’s part of God, doesn’t that make him a murderer by connection? Because God tells people to kill people too and—”
His voice started to rise. “You are twisting God’s words.”
“No, it’s there. I’m sure.”
“You…” He took a deep breath. “In the Bible, boy, God is seeking justice, a righteousness for the whole world, in a world in which there are bad people who hurt people, because back then there were no jails. There was no way to stop people from continuing to hurt and cheat others. The church teaches us that every life is precious and in a modern world, jails do exist. As such murder is a sin.”
“What about the army?”
“It is for the overall wellbeing of the country and only approved by the church if it is absolutely necessary.”
&nbs
p; Are all adults dumb like this?
“So then being a murderer is okay. You just need permission. And you can only get permission if it is necessary. My parents only do things if it is necessary—”
“Nothing your parents do, boy—”
“Stop interrupting me!” I snapped, glaring at him as I stood up in the booth. “Stop calling me boy. I told you my name is Ethan Antonio Giovanni Callahan. I haven’t interrupted you once. I’ve allowed you to speak your mind. And you’re the one being rude. I told you they are my parents and you still want to talk bad about them to me. If gossiping isn’t a sin, it should be and you should confess to it. My parents only act if it is necessary. People attack us all the time, and we defend ourselves, our families, and our people. If my parents weren’t murderers…if I wasn’t a murderer. We’d be dead!”
He gasped. “What did you just say?”
I didn’t reply. The more I looked at him, the angrier I got.
“You’ve killed someone?”
“Yes, but I’m not asking for forgiveness.”
Again he made another huffy sound.
“What have they done to you? How old are you that they turned you into a monster?”
“Thanks be to God.” I quoted the last line from the confession card he’d told me to pick up before, which meant we were done. Opening the door, I blinked a few times, adjusting to the light.
“Ethan, what took so long?” Dona popped up right in my face. Her dark brown hair was curled up a lot and it made her look funny, but she still liked it. She was grinning like she knew something I didn’t. Dona’s smile always made me smile no matter what, though.