Blessed Child Read online

  He sat at the table and bowed his head. The food looked like a heap of earthworms, but it smelled like cheese. Cheesy worms. He didn’t want to eat.

  She humphed and walked for the door. Her hips were large, and the brown dress she wore looked as though it might split. The black shoes on her feet appeared too small, so that the straps pressed deep into her ankles. They clacked loudly on the wooden floor.

  At the door, she turned around and looked at him crossly. “I’ll be back in one hour to turn the lights out. Your room is down the hall on the left.” She motioned to the dark opening that led to the rest of the quarters. “That food had better be gone when I get back. If I ever catch you outside of this building, I will whip you. And don’t pretend that you don’t understand; Nikolous told me that you speak English.”

  She stepped out and shut the door.

  Somewhere a cricket sang in the night. He didn’t know what she meant by whip, but it did not sound like a good thing. Surely it couldn’t mean she actually intended to strike him.

  Caleb stared at his food and wondered at the feelings that hurt his chest. He began to bob his head. He bobbed his head, and he began to sing in a high, quiet voice. It was a song in Ge’ez, a chant that he and Dadda often sang, thanking God for his love.

  A warmth settled over his shoulders, and he remembered that cross in the church. The cross.

  “What does it mean to die, Dadda?”

  “It means to find life fully. To be with God.”

  “And when will we die?”

  “As soon as we are done showing his love here, my son.”

  Caleb nodded and smiled. He picked up his fork and stuck it in the food. He was a child and Dadda was dead. Both were good, he thought. Both allowed access to the kingdom.

  8

  Day 2

  THE PHONE CALL FROM THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH came at eleven on Monday morning. There was a problem with the boy. “He won’t do anything,” Father Nikolous said.

  Jason and Leiah had left the church the previous day and driven back to Jason’s house in silence. Working among oppressed peoples as they both had, they’d learned to shut down emotionally in order to survive. Not a distasteful response, simply a human one. It felt oddly like that to Jason driving home from the Greek Orthodox church. As if they had just been to a funeral—a rather strong emotion, considering they had only known Caleb four days now.

  He’d taken her to a Super Eight motel Sunday afternoon, and after a brief, rather awkward discussion about their future plans, they wished each other well and parted ways. Leiah would catch a flight to Montreal Tuesday and take a short sabbatical before deciding whether or not to return to Africa. She probably would, she said. There was no place for her in North America. As for Jason, he really had no clue what he would do now. Probably return to some famine-stricken land to help the people struggle through impossible odds.

  “What do you mean he won’t do anything?” Jason asked into the receiver.

  “He won’t do anything. I went to see him this morning, and he told me flatly that he’ll do absolutely nothing unless he first sees you and the woman. It’s ridiculous.”

  “Me and the woman? You mean Leiah?”

  “Yes, of course!” Nikolous snapped.

  “And what won’t he do?”

  “I’ve told you! Nothing! Everything! He refuses to eat or dress or talk. He sits by the window and pretends to be dumb.”

  Heat washed down Jason’s back. “And you’re doing what to him?”

  “Nothing. Martha has done nothing but try to encourage him to eat.”

  “I’ll be there in an hour. Don’t touch him.”

  The phone went dead in his ear and Jason hung up. He wasn’t sure how well Nikolous knew immigration law, but the Greek might have just opened the door for removal of custody.

  He called Leiah’s hotel, hoping she was in her room. If he knew her, she was probably propped up on the bed, reacquainting herself with the Western world by flipping through television channels rather than taking to the streets.

  Leiah answered on the first ring and immediately agreed to go with him. The flight didn’t leave until 4:00 P.M., and she’d been thinking of taking a cab to check on Caleb anyway.

  Leiah walked out to meet him in front of the hotel thirty minutes later, and Jason saw that she’d gone shopping. She wore faded jeans and a green cotton blouse with long sleeves. A red bandana hung around her neck. Walking across the driveway in tan leather hiking boots and flowing black hair, she could pass as a pinup model for John Deere tractors, he thought. Our lady of Africa has found her new home. Now there was an image: a model with third-degree burns from her neck to her ankles.

  She slid into the Bronco. “So . . .” She smiled.

  He nodded. “You good?”

  “Better now.”

  Jason pulled into traffic and headed to Burbank. “I thought you might be concerned with this news of Caleb.”

  “It’s hardly news. Did you expect any different? There was bound to be a problem with that charlatan.”

  “It might end up being more than just a visit.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Meaning that if Nikolous and his staff have legitimate difficulties with Caleb, then we stand a good chance of finding him another home.”

  “A home for how long?”

  “It’ll take several months for the courts to determine his citizenship rights. They’ll have to demonstrate that his mother was an American. Just because Father Matthew claimed that some guilt-ridden commander confessed to killing the boy’s supposed American mother doesn’t mean she actually was an American. She could’ve been Canadian, for that matter. Or European. Point is, it’ll take time. In the meantime the court will grant guardianship to a legal party. That’s the first step, sometime in the next few days. For most refugees, guardianship is given to a relative within the United States, but with an orphan like Caleb, World Relief appointed Sunnyside Orphanage. The judge would normally rubber-stamp the appointment and turn full custody over to Sunnyside.”

  “Unless there are problems with the case.”

  “Unless we can convince the judge at the guardianship hearing that Nikolous and his outfit are unfit to care for this particular boy.”

  Leiah placed her hand on his forearm. “Then we do whatever we can in our power to make that happen, Jason. I’m telling you, they will destroy him.”

  He glanced at her hand. He could just see her skin, wrinkled at her wrist. He nodded. “I think you’re right. And where would he stay?”

  “With me.”

  “In Canada? They’ll never go for that.”

  “No, here. I don’t know. I’ll find someplace. I am with the Red Cross; I’m sure something can be worked out.”

  “Maybe. We’ll see. First we have to stop the Greek.”

  They arrived at the Greek Orthodox church and pulled into the same visitor’s spot they’d parked in a day earlier. The large lot was vacant except for a half-dozen cars near the building’s west wing. A tall, skinny man with a very short nose that made Jason think of a stuck-up butler led them through the offices to a back door. They entered a grassy courtyard surrounded by three identical long gray buildings. Dormitories. The layout looked like what you might find on a college campus. Or a prison camp. A pale yellow swing set sat idly on the lawn. The setting was as drab as wet concrete.

  Lighten up, Jason. This is a fine facility. The tall man led them down covered walkways to the far-right building. They left the courtyard and rounded the structure. The outer walls facing the main street were constructed of cedar and lined with flower boxes full of blue carnations. A high fence encircled the perimeter of the property fifty feet off, between the dormitories and the street—to keep the unwanted out, no doubt.

  Nikolous had told them yesterday that they housed five to ten children at any given time. There wasn’t any sign of them here; perhaps they were at lunch now.

  Butler-man opened a door and showed them into the building a
nd then left. The room they entered looked like a large waiting room, with gray sofas on the side closest to the door and a Formica-topped dining table on the far side. Black-and-white-checkered tile covered the floor, and the white ceilings stood a good twelve feet above their heads. Long warehouse fluorescents hung from white chains, lifeless now.

  Nikolous stood by a window near the dining table. He glanced at them, walked over to the entrance of a hallway that ran farther into the building, and pushed a small red button on an intercom. “Bring him, Martha.”

  The Greek could have passed for a trader on Wall Street in the black suit he wore—a far cry from the robes of yesterday. He approached them with his hands behind his back.

  “Good morning,” Jason said.

  “We should make this quick,” the Greek said. “I have a meeting at one o’clock and I haven’t had lunch.” His hair was slicked back with grease, a stark look that seemed to exaggerate the dark bags under his eyes.

  “I’m not sure what you expect us to do, Nikolous, but I can promise you it won’t be quick.”

  The man grinned. “Father Nikolous, if you please. And I expect you to help this child understand that you are no longer his guardian. He seems to have latched on to the notion that you are responsible for him. And when I say quick, I am referring to this meeting only.”

  “Do you mind if we come in and sit?”

  “Of course.” The Greek walked to the gray couches and sat in a folding chair adjacent to them. He smelled of linseed oil. Jason glanced at Leiah and saw that she was watching the hall. He took her elbow and they joined Nikolous.

  “Where is he?” Leiah asked.

  “With Martha. His caretaker. They will be out momentarily.” One look at Nikolous and any judge with his head screwed on tightly would want testimony on his worthiness. Jason would give testimony, all right, but it wouldn’t be to worthiness.

  “Now, I want to be perfectly clear,” Nikolous said. “If you have any misguided notions of making new arrangements for this boy, you should dismiss them. We have full custody of the child.” He frowned confidently. “I’m not interested in your taking him off my hands. What I am interested in is your help with Caleb’s transition. The first days in such a new environment can be difficult, as I’m sure you well know. He seems to have taken a liking to you.”

  “And not you? Why not?”

  The frown deepened. “No need to be smart. These things take time. In the meantime you can help him. He will live here, under our care, but it might be useful for him to receive visits from you until he grows accustomed to his new home.”

  “Well, to be honest with you, Father, I’m no longer sure this should be his new home.”

  “And I’m really not interested in what you’re sure about, Mr. Marker. I’m more concerned with the child. And I need your help with the child.”

  A heavyset woman with long black hair, wearing a dress that was two sizes too small, suddenly marched from the hallway. Caleb stepped out from her shadow and stopped. He still wore the same gray slacks and white shirt they’d dressed him in yesterday. His face lit up at the sight of Leiah and Jason, and he walked quickly for Leiah. He slid onto the couch next to her, and she put an arm around his shoulders.

  “Hello, Caleb.”

  “Selam,” he said with a smile.

  “And that’s another thing,” Nikolous said. “He simply must stop talking in this nonsensical language of his. You did say he knows English—”

  “Ge’ez,” Leiah snapped. “His language is Ge’ez. And why do you insist on making comments like that in front of him? He understands you.”

  “If he understands, then tell him to speak when spoken to.”

  “He’s in shock. You can’t expect him to answer every question you throw his way.”

  Nikolous motioned to the woman. “Please sit, Martha.”

  She sat without expression.

  “This is the boy’s caretaker, Martha.” She dipped her head. “Now he’s been positively insubordinate to Martha. And perhaps you are right. Perhaps his insubordination is the result of shock. Which is precisely why we need your help in easing him past this initial phase of transition. We have decided that daily visits immediately following the lunch hour would be good for the child.”

  Martha sat like a frog on her chair, bunched up and unmoving. This whole sham was absurd. It felt like something out of a Charles Dickens novel. The judge would take one look at this woman and refuse guardianship.

  The boy was absently examining his fingers now. Jason looked at Nikolous sitting stiffly in his chair. “I think I’ve had enough of this craziness. There’s no way we’re leaving this boy in your charge. He’s clearly not suited to you. You’re too impatient and too heartless to be this boy’s guardian. I’m going to recommend the judge deny guardianship.”

  “On what grounds, my friend?” Nikolous asked.

  Jason had expected a bolt of lightning from the priest. The revelation should have at least caused a spark. Certainly more than this simple even-toned question. And it was a good question at that. He had no tangible evidence that they were not suitable. It would have to be the judge’s good sense at seeing them at the hearing.

  “He doesn’t like you,” Jason said. “And frankly I don’t think you like him.”

  The priest leaned back and grinned through a chuckle. “Dear man, you are far too sentimental. We are raising good citizens, not winning lifelong friends. This child needs good rearing, not hugs and kisses. Isn’t that right, Martha?”

  The woman shot the boy a stern stare. “He is positively insubordinate and undisciplined.”

  “And I suppose you think it’s your job to bring him into submission, is that it?” Leiah demanded.

  “Please watch your tone,” the Father cautioned. “You are liable to upset the boy. Hardly what we need.”

  Jason stood to his feet, flush with heat. “That’s it! We’re taking him!”

  “Taking him? You can’t just take him. He’s in my custody. Sit down.”

  “He may be in your custody now, chump. But until a judge gives you guardianship, you don’t have squat.”

  The priest chuckled and his lips bunched smugly. Martha’s mouth had settled into her first smile. “I’m afraid you don’t understand, young man. I’ve already seen the judge and been granted guardianship. Whether you like it or not, he’s under my care for at least some months, and there’s nothing short of kidnapping that you can do about it. You really are here to help me, not fight me. Do you understand this?”

  Jason’s mind spun. They’d already had the hearing? Leiah’s eyes had grown round. The boy was still engrossed in his fingers. “This morning . . . ?”

  “Yes, of course. Now please sit down.”

  Jason sat on the edge of the couch. The man was right; there was nothing he could do if guardianship had already been granted. Yesterday he could have intercepted the process, but not now. Not without a prolonged legal battle. Leiah had lowered her head, but she could not hide the flexing of her jaw. She understood clearly enough that it was Jason’s reluctance to take the boy that had brought them here.

  “Now, you can either help me or not. That much you can choose,” Nikolous said. He stood and straightened his tie. “I really must be going. If you are willing to help Caleb by visiting him each day at the one-o’clock hour for a week, it would be appreciated. If not, we will find other ways to encourage his cooperation.”

  “Listen to you!” Leiah cried. “You talk like he’s some kind of machine you’re trying to get working. He’s a boy, for crying out loud!”

  Father Nikolous’s lips fell flat. “A yes or no will be adequate.”

  If Leiah were able to translate her thoughts into action, they’d be giving the morgue a call, Jason thought.

  “Yes,” he said.

  Leiah spun to him, glaring.

  “He’s right, Leiah. I’ll make a few calls, but it’s probably all we can do.”

  A silence settled over them, and Father Nik
olous sighed with satisfaction. “Don’t worry. Martha is wonderful with children. And we hope you will be able to persuade the boy to be a little more congenial.”

  He nodded at Martha, who stood and walked over to the boy. She took his arm and pulled him up.

  Leiah held his hand. “Hold on! We just got here. We can’t spend more time with him?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. Not today.” Nikolous motioned to the hallway, and Martha took the boy, who followed like an obedient puppy. Leiah stared after them, dumbstruck. The caretaker and Caleb had taken ten steps when Nikolous stopped them.

  “Wait, Martha. Let’s make sure they understand me.” He watched Jason without moving his head. “I have arranged to have the boy tested at UCLA’s parapsychology research laboratory tomorrow morning, but I fear the boy won’t cooperate. There’ll be no visit tomorrow. You may see him at the university at ten o’clock. That is if the boy agrees to cooperate.”

  “Tested for what?” Jason demanded.

  Still the priest did not remove his stare. “Tested for psychic response, of course.”

  So that was it, then. The Greek was basically blackmailing them into persuading Caleb to go along with his agenda. If you want to see the boy again, persuade him to allow me to pry into his mind. If you don’t, my mean witch here will teach your precious boy some discipline.

  “UCLA? They do that kind of thing?” Jason glanced at Leiah, who was drilling Nikolous with her stare.

  “I was informed this morning that they are at the top of the field. They are quite eager to test the boy.”

  “I suppose we don’t have a choice.”

  “No, I want you to ask the boy if that will be okay.”

  “Now?”

  “Now.”

  It was feeling like some distant cousin to prostitution, but Jason saw no alternative. He faced the boy. Caleb was already looking at him. He smiled. “Caleb, do you understand?” He switched to broken Amharic to spite Nikolous. “Do you understand?”

  Caleb answered quickly in the same language. “Yes.”