Mr and Mrs Pinto

Copyright © 2021 Aqil N All rights reserved The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 9781234567890 ISBN-10: 1477123456 Cover design by: Ashik N Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309 Printed in the United States of America

Mr and Mrs Pinto

Chapter I The anniversary before the wedding.

It's not that Sebastian didn't appreciate nature. He was just rather indifferent to it. His 40-year career in insurance had taken him to many cubicles but never to the corner office with the view. Those long hours spent with his head buried in claim forms under the cold stare of a tube light had perhaps blinded him to nature's glory. But even Sebastian had to admit that today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. A gentle breeze was blowing. The view was spectacular – lush, perfect lawns as far as the eye could see. Even Mumbai's horny honkers had been dealt with, drowned out by birds whistling their sweet melodies. Standing under the shade of a tree, Sebastian saw it all and heard it all. For a rare moment, he was one with nature. Just then, a bird, perched on that very tree, took it upon itself to remind Sebastian of Mother Nature's somewhat unpredictable nature. Crap.

Sebastian wiped the bird's droppings off his formerly spotless leather shoes. He continued to look at the perfectly manicured blades of grass. Only now, it was with a frown on his face. The banquet lawn setting had made a big dent in Sebastian’s retirement fund. And so far, no one, not one guest, had uttered a word of praise. Luckily, overpriced and underappreciated grass aside, the general consensus was that Sebastian had indeed spent a lot of money on today's get-together. Which was important because today was a significant day. Today, Sebastian Pinto and his wife, Jaya Pinto were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. He was a 73-year-old retired insurance appraiser and Jaya, 5 years younger, was a retired accountant who had been Sebastian’s co-worker once upon a time. 50 glorious years. Another milestone for Mr and Mrs Pinto. Celebrated – as such milestones demand to be – in the company of their very busy kids who always found time for their parents on such Instagram-worthy occasions. Also in attendance were some close friends – a fast- shrinking list of names, people Sebastian and Jaya knew from their youth and now mostly caught up with inside hospital rooms. Not to forget, the insufferable bunch of distant relatives one is always obliged to invite to such occasions. The venue chosen was an obscenely expensive 5-star resort. Anything less than 5-star luxury for a 50th wedding anniversary would have been looked down upon. That said, there had been cheaper 5-star options available. But Jaya had insisted, and Sebastian had yielded.

Candles were blown. A cake was cut. Selfies were clicked. Glasses were clinked. And toasts were made. It was a picture-perfect afternoon thoroughly worthy of Mr and Mrs Pinto's inter-religious fairy tale. To everyone else, Mr and Mrs Pinto were the perfect couple, a shining endorsement of the institution of marriage and all its promised stability. Sebastian didn’t necessarily disagree. By all accounts, theirs had been a long and successful marriage. It just wasn't a long and happy marriage – a minor distinction, but one with major implications. He usually did a good job of not thinking about the state of his marriage. Those were dangerous thoughts and like all other dangerous thoughts, best swept under the rug and left there to rot until one was on one's deathbed. However, today, Sebastian just couldn’t stop himself. Perhaps it was the exertion of a day-long charade of happiness. Perhaps it was the speech he had been forced to write for the occasion, an anecdotal toast that ended up being a big hit. It was something that he had struggled with and spent quite a few restless nights preparing. He had to dig deep before he finally found something he could use – a dusty old memory of how he’d fallen in love with Jaya. It was when he’d seen her laugh for the very first time. And oh, what a laugh it was! Her eyes twinkling, head thrown back, and unruly hair dancing all over the place. As for the laughter itself - loud... booming in fact, madly contagious, uninhibited and, in a surreal way, naked.

It was the purest thing Sebastian had ever seen. He knew instantly that he could watch her laugh forever. He knew instantly that he loved her. It was a simpler time; no one dated back then. Sebastian told her, \"I love you\". A week later, she said, \"I love you too\". A few bumpy months, some family drama, a court date, two signatures and three witnesses later, they were officially Mr and Mrs Pinto. But that was the easy part. Because then came marriage. The years went by and Jaya's love for Sebastian slowly fizzled out. As tends to happen in marriages, from time to time. She became distant, and the laughter dried up, replaced by a permanent frown. Sebastian tried to save the marriage and tried harder to make her laugh. But everything he did just made things worse. One day, finally, he gave up. And with that, Mr and Mrs Pinto officially quit their dreams of a happy marriage to instead embrace the grind of having a successful one – as also tends to happen in marriages, from time to time. After that, it had been pure marital bliss. At least, Sebastian and Jaya made sure that it looked that way from the outside. Daniel was born after a colleague innocently enquired whether Sebastian and Jaya were having problems in the bedroom and Devendra, when a neighbour advised Jaya to gift Daniel a sibling to play with. And then finally came Diya, only because Sebastian's mother kept hounding Jaya for a granddaughter to whom she could pass down her prized collection of Kanchipuram sarees.

The kids went to good schools and then to good colleges before going on with their lives in good cities in good countries far away from Mumbai. Sebastian and Jaya went from a rented apartment to another rented apartment to their very own two-storey home. Along the way, they also upgraded their beaten-up Chetak to a swanky Maruti Swift. If there was ever a checklist for married couples in India, Sebastian was sure that he and Jaya had ticked every box on it. One by one, the guests left, and the anniversary celebrations came to an end. The kids went straight to the airport and flew back to their lives. Sebastian and Jaya drove back home to theirs. The curtains had been drawn on the theatrical show of attachment that Mr and Mrs Pinto had put on for their audience. It was replaced by the now familiar silence that Sebastian and Jaya had grown accustomed to, punctuated by the hum of the car's engine. Try as he did, Sebastian couldn't shake off the dark thoughts pinballing inside his head. The deafening silence wasn't helping.

When they finally reached home, Jaya walked in, and Sebastian walked out. She didn't ask where he was off to, and neither did he think of telling her. They had always been secure in each other's commitment to the public display of a “healthy” marriage. Whenever temptation came knocking – and come knocking it had over the years – they resisted out of fear of being caught. Not by each other but by someone they knew. Sebastian made his way to the nearby St. Joseph Church. A painful fall in the shower a few years ago, and the hip surgery that followed, had helped him discover the comforts of prayer. Since then, he religiously turned to God's divine intervention as his first resort in the face of any troubles that ailed him. It was late in the evening, and the church was empty as usual, save for a couple rehearsing their wedding ceremony with Father Lucas. Sebastian got on his knees and started his monologue with God. \"You may kiss–\" Before Father Lucas could finish, the young couple started kissing each other passionately. \"–the bride tomorrow morning at 10:30 am,\" interrupted the Father through clenched teeth. The couple separated, the boy with a sheepish smile and the girl struggling to keep a straight face. Father Lucas glared at her. It didn't help. With his thick, round glasses and chubby cheeks all puffed out in pink fury, Father Lucas had an effect that was, in fact, the very opposite of the one he desired. She turned around, tried, gave up and burst out laughing.

Sebastian snapped out of his prayer. His heart skipped a beat, and he rubbed his eyes, and ears, in disbelief. She looked familiar. She laughed familiar. There, standing and laughing like a lunatic was the spitting image of the young Jaya that Sebastian had fallen in love with more than 50 years ago. The boy, with a sorry smile on his face, dragged the girl away who was still laughing uncontrollably. Father Lucas watched on, shaking his head in disapproval and mouthing church-appropriate profanities under his breath. Sebastian stayed rooted to the spot, stunned and mesmerised, his hands still folded in prayer. The boy and girl walked out the church doors, and the echoes of her laughter grew softer and softer until finally, Sebastian could hear it no more. Those few seconds of silence were all that he needed to regain his bearings. He heaved himself up and raced out, as fast as his legs could take him, only reaching in time to see the blinking taillights of a car being driven away. Sebastian's head was spinning. At the church of all places. On his anniversary of all days. Was this a sign? If it was one, what was God trying to tell him? Sebastian stumbled home. He collapsed on the bed, but couldn't sleep. He closed his eyes, but couldn't get her face out of his head. And that laugh. Sebastian could still hear it ringing in his ears. That unmistakable laugh.

Jaya's laugh. The Jaya he was married to was asleep at arm’s length from him. But Sebastian felt like he had seen her back at the church for the first time in…well forever. He couldn't stop thinking about it. The events at the church played and replayed in his head. Over and over, like a song stuck on loop. It was Father Lucas who had unintentionally set off the laugh riot that night. His stern words had, until then, been relegated to the background in Sebastian’s vivid recollection. But after the millionth recap, all of sudden, Father Lucas’s words finally registered in his brain. Sebastian’s eyes snapped open. Breaking into a cold sweat, he sat upright on the bed. BRIDE… TOMORROW… MORNING... 10:30! Sebastian had to talk to her. And tell her what? He did not know. How would she react? Would she laugh at him? Would she be offended? Would she… wait, just what was Sebastian going to tell her? Sebastian didn't have the faintest clue. He didn't have answers to any of his questions or questions to any of his answers. All he knew was that he simply had to talk to her. He sat by the window, staring, but not really looking, at the open skies. And he spent the rest of the night counting the seconds, minutes, and hours away.

Chapter II The wedding after the anniversary.

The alarm rang at 8, as it did every morning. Jaya woke up to the unusual sight of Sebastian already up before her; he was blankly staring out the window, like something was deeply troubling him. Alarmed, she enquired about his bowel movements and offered to fetch him his constipation medicine. Sebastian didn't reply. He couldn't bear to look at her anymore, much less talk to her. Not after seeing the girl in the church. The girl who looked and laughed more like the Jaya he’d loved. The girl who was more Jaya than the impostor living with him could ever hope to be. Sebastian stood up. It was time. He shaved, showered, wore his smartest Sunday suit, wiped his glasses clean, gulped down his morning medicine and set off. Hearing him fiddle with the lock on the front door, Laxmi, their maid, came running out to inform him that breakfast was almost ready. She was making upma. If Sebastian could wait for just 5 more minutes– –No, there was no time. Sebastian had a wedding to attend. He marched over to St. Joseph Church. Bathed in warm sunlight, the church courtyard was swarming with people. There was the usual handful of sombre-faced devotees, but they were outnumbered by an unusually large, noisy and overdressed army of wedding guests. Sebastian scanned the crowd, moving from one face to the next. His search was interrupted by a man screaming orders left and right. He looked important... screaming like he knew things. Sebastian tried his luck and asked him about the bride. The screaming man broke into an ill-fitting smile and informed him that she was on her way.

Sebastian wandered around the church courtyard, making sure he had eyes on the entrance gate at all times. He came across an empty bench under the shade of a tree and sat down. The view was lacklustre; no birds chirped, and there was not even the hint of a breeze – a thoroughly disappointing sequel to the 5-star banquet lawns yesterday. Sebastian waited there until he could wait no more. Truth be told, it was a very short wait. He found the screaming man and enquired about the bride's whereabouts again. This time, there was no forced smile. The screaming man curtly informed Sebastian that the bride was still on her way. Tick-tock-tick, and Sebastian was on the move again. But this time the screaming man had been expecting him. He had a wedding minion on standby - one of those helpless kids who are at the mercy of the family elders during weddings. When the screaming man spotted Sebastian making his way towards him again, he pointed out Sebastian to the minion and simply nodded his head. The minion promptly intercepted Sebastian. \"The ceremony is about to begin, and all guests are requested to take their seats inside the church,\" he politely informed him. The screaming man was glaring at Sebastian for good measure. Sebastian got the hint. Inside the church, Sebastian chose the bench that was closest to the entrance door. It was occupied by a bunch of giggling schoolgirls who were none too pleased to see Sebastian sitting with them. They had been saving the spot for a friend. Sebastian really couldn't care less.

He turned to check whether she had reached, so often and so excitedly, that he could feel his fragile neck muscles starting to ache. He impatiently tapped his feet and rapped his knuckles and was just about ready to try his luck with the screaming man again. Just then, the church doors dramatically opened, and a grey-haired man walked in. He had an announcement for the guests. \"We are very sorry, but there will be a small delay. The bride's grandparents were supposed to reach early today morning. But their train was delayed and arrived only now. We have postponed the ceremony by an hour so that they can join us. In the meantime, snacks will be served at the church banquet hall.\" In the blink of an eye, the church cleared out as the guests rushed to the banquet hall to get their wedding's worth of food. Sebastian politely declined snack invitations from various family members of the bride and the groom. Food was the last thing on his mind right now, even if he could feel his sugar levels dipping alarmingly low. Old age and adventure clearly didn't go well together. It wasn't until he saw the screaming man inviting people to eat that it occurred to him that maybe the bride too was snacking with the rest of the guests. Sebastian raced to the banquet hall. There was a large crowd waiting to get in. It was like catching a Mumbai local train during rush hour. The veteran Mumbaikar that he was, Sebastian wriggled, jiggled and squiggled his way in with ease. Inside the banquet hall, scanning face after face after face, Sebastian tried to make sense of the events that had turned his world upside down in less than 24 hours. \"God works in mysterious

ways,\" Father Lucas often said, usually when he had no other answer or explanation. Amen to that. Every nerve in Sebastian's body, habituated to a lifetime of appraising risks, told him that this was a risky proposition. An insurer's worst nightmare. There was no contingency plan, none whatsoever. The insurable risk was immense. And damages were absolutely certain. It went against every lesson Sebastian had learnt in his career. But Sebastian didn't care. He just had to talk to this girl. This girl, who did not even know that he exists. But she would... Soon... Any moment now... Or maybe not. She wasn't there in the banquet hall. Sebastian had hoped that it wouldn't come to this. He walked back to the church hall, took his seat and waited. The grandparents had already arrived. The guests came back, big happy smiles on all their faces and the same burning question on all their minds – What was for lunch? The groom walked in, flush with excitement and looking all dapper. A few minutes later, the choir started singing and, arm in arm with the grey-haired man who’d announced the delay earlier, she walked in.

Whatever doubts Sebastian may have had disappeared at the sight of her. The resemblance was uncanny. Sebastian took a deep breath. Back when he and Jaya were newly married, back when they’d still been in love, they used to play a game, a fun debate over their respective religion’s views on any given subject. On one such occasion, the topic was the afterlife. After the debate, Jaya jokingly had Sebastian make her a promise. If Hinduism did win that battle, and if both of them came back to earth reborn, then Sebastian would find Jaya. No matter what, no matter where. \"Mr and Mrs Pinto forever,\" she declared before laughing that laugh of hers again. \"We are gathered here today in the sight of God and in the face of this company, to join together Kenneth Fernandez and Alicia D'cruz in holy matrimony.\" When does one die? When is one dead? Is death merely the absence of life or is it the absence of living? Who was to say that the

Jaya back home was alive? No laughter, no love, and existing merely to put on a show of contentment to appease society. Who was to say that this... this Alicia wasn't Sebastian's Jaya reborn? \"If any of you has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.\" Sebastian raised his hand and stood up. \"I, Sebastian Pinto, object to this marriage. With God as my witness, that is my wife of 50 years.\" ◆◆◆ Sebastian hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, and these last 12 hours had been more excitement than his retired 73-year-old nerves were accustomed to. When he objected, he was swaying from side to side, like a drunk man would. And slurring his words, like a drunk man would. Naturally then, a drunk man is what everyone took him to be. There was silence. Then, from their seats scattered across the church hall, close relatives of the bride and groom stood up. All of them at the same time. They quietly walked over, surrounded Sebastian and then gently, but firmly ushered him out. Not a word was said; it was all so gracefully done, so devoid of drama, that Sebastian didn't even realise what was happening until he was standing all alone in the church courtyard. Now, Sebastian wasn't an expert on Hindu scriptures. He was, however, quite the movie buff, and reincarnation was a popular theme in Indian movies. He was convinced that he had opened

Alicia's eyes. That he had re-awakened all the dormant memories from her past life as Mrs Pinto. Confident that he was going to be reunited with the woman he loved. Because that's how reincarnation worked in every damn Indian movie that Sebastian had seen. He calmly sat again on the still empty bench under the tree. And waited for Alicia to come looking for him. She didn't. It was Father Mathew, the youth pastor, who came instead. He'd been sent by Father Lucas and had been instructed to find Sebastian and escort him over to Father Lucas's private quarters. Sebastian reluctantly agreed to go along – provided Father Mathew promised that he'd tell Alicia where Sebastian was when she came looking for him. Not if she came looking, but when. Smiling kindly, Father Mathew promised that he would.

Locked inside Father Lucas's office, Sebastian was giddy with anticipation and could barely sit still. He felt like a teenager in love. Any moment now, his Jaya would come bursting through the door. The minutes ticked away, and Alicia didn't show. A few minutes more, and suddenly, Sebastian wasn't so sure that she would. Giddy anticipation turned into a frantic, anxious wait. Sebastian felt nauseous. His heart was pounding, and he really couldn’t sit anymore. So, he stood up and started pacing around the room. Round and round he went, any hope he had slowly withering away with every lap. The faint distant hum of the choir singing at the church stopped him dead in his tracks. His heart sank, and he collapsed into a chair.

Chapter III The honeymoon after the anniversary and the wedding.

Father Lucas hurried back to his office as soon as the ceremony was over. He settled down in his chair and took a deep breath. Sitting across from him was a familiar face. In very unfamiliar circumstances. Father Lucas had gotten quite the shock on recognising the drunk man inside his church hall. He knew Sebastian and knew him well. There had to be an explanation for all this. And Father Lucas wanted to hear it from Sebastian himself. Sebastian obliged. He explained as well as he could, as well as anyone could, really. It was a wildly improbable theory hinged on Hindu beliefs and narrated to a Christian priest inside church grounds. After Sebastian was done, Father Lucas asked him to go home and never speak of the day's events again. As Sebastian got up to leave, Father Lucas suddenly jumped out of his chair. He carefully walked towards Sebastian, stopping when they were about a metre apart, and then slowly came in closer and closer, until they stood face to face, and nose to nose. Father Lucas sniffed… then sniffed again just to be sure, before walking back to

his chair with a grateful smile. Alcohol is never the answer to life's problems. Thank God for that. Sebastian's walk back home was a long one. And painful. And strangely cathartic. He was thinking clearly again. With no big anniversary speeches to make, no weddings to break up and no divine miracles to wish for; he felt unburdened and free. He quietly reflected on everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. And the choices that he had made in his life that had led him there. Tears started streaming down his face, and he finally faced the cold, hard truth. His marriage was over. And it had been for a long, long time. Sebastian and Jaya were not husband and wife anymore; they were co-workers stuck in horrible jobs that both of them hated. Punching in every morning as soon as they woke up. Punching out every night only when they went to sleep. On and on. Till death do them part. Both of them were equally at fault. He could've said something. She could've too. He could've tried harder. She could've too. Sadly, it was what it was. Sebastian turned his thoughts towards Alicia. He was grateful that she had barged into his life. If only for a day, she had reminded him what it felt like to be alive. If only for a day, she had reminded him what it felt like to be in love.

As he was being thrown out of the church, Sebastian had gotten a good look at her. The defeated expression on her face was burned in his memory. It wasn't the reaction he had been hoping for. And it caught him by surprise at the time. Now, it tortured him. He remembered his daughter's wedding day. What it had meant to her. What it had meant to him. How fresh and vivid those memories still were. As he turned the last corner leading up to his house, it dawned on Sebastian that he'd just ruined a young girl's wedding. Tainted a memory that'll forever live with her and her family. That he could do something about. That he would do something about. Sebastian picked up the pace. He'd go back to see Father Lucas, find out where Alicia lives and apologise. No… he'd fall at her feet and beg for forgiveness. Yes, that's what he'd do! A cup of tea, some of that upma and he'd be on his way. Sebastian reached his house, opened the gate and marched across the driveway, walking with a sense of purpose now. He charged in through the front door. And heard the sound of his own voice. \"With God as my witness, that is my wife of 50 years.\" Jaya was sitting on the sofa, eyes glued to a mobile phone in her hand. Laxmi was standing next to her, looking mighty pleased with herself. And from the phone in Jaya's hand – Laxmi's phone – Sebastian's objection rang out, loud and clear. \"I, Sebastian Pinto, object to this marriage. With God as my witness, that is my wife of 50 years.\"

Again. Again. And again. This was one risk that Sebastian hadn't appraised. He suddenly felt very lightheaded and sick to his stomach. His hands and feet were trembling. Jaya, Laxmi and everything around them became one big blur. Wait. Blurred vision? Shaking limbs? Abdominal pain? Dizziness? Oh God, not now– \"LOLLIPOP!\" Sebastian cried out as he staggered forward and threw himself onto the sofa. Sebastian's blood sugar had dropped too low again. It happened fairly regularly – in no small part due to his almost-childlike refusal to eat his meals on time. Laxmi sprang into action. She raced to the

kitchen and sprinted back out – holding a lollipop in her hand like a baton in a relay race. So, there they were, sitting on opposite sofas – Sebastian, with his eyes closed and a lollipop in his mouth and Jaya, still glued to the phone, immune to all the slurping, popping and lip-smacking noises. And Laxmi standing by, watching the two of them, impatiently waiting for the drama to begin. All along, Sebastian's objection continued to play from the phone. Piercing the silence in the room. Impossible to ignore. Sebastian finished the lollipop, feeling better as his blood sugar stabilised. He slowly opened his eyes. Jaya slowly lifted her head. Their eyes met. And time stood still. She didn't say a word. Didn't need to. They had been married for 50 years. It was a look that Sebastian knew well enough. He was in trouble. Big trouble. It was hard enough telling a Christian priest about his reincarnated wife. Now, Sebastian had to explain it, all over again, to his still living and breathing Hindu wife, no less. Crap. \"Laxmi, go and clean the upstairs bedroom,\" Jaya ordered, without taking her eyes off Sebastian. Laxmi simply stared back at her, hoping she had heard her wrong. \"Now, Laxmi!\" Jaya commanded, making it clear that it wasn't a request. Laxmi felt betrayed. She served Sebastian a plate of leftover upma. And then, with all the enthusiasm of a child visiting a dentist, she dragged herself upstairs.

Sebastian's objection continued to blast out from Laxmi's phone in Jaya's hands. How it had gotten there was still a source of mystery. Turns out – and Sebastian found out much, much later – someone had filmed it at the church. And apparently, it had qualified as contagious footage and had quickly gone viral. Through the world wide web. And now, it was on everyone's phones. Jaya still hadn't taken her eyes off Sebastian. Squirming under her icy gaze, he finally cracked. Stuttering and muttering, fumbling and mumbling, between spoonfuls of upma, Sebastian poured his heart out and told Jaya everything. Reliving the rollercoaster of emotions he had gone through in a day. Unloading all the misery and hurt he had kept bottled up for a lifetime. After he was done, he hung his head in shame and waited. During those few seconds that seemed to stretch for a lifetime, he appraised the countless painful ways in which Jaya could punish him. But nothing could prepare him for what came next. She burst out laughing. She laughed till her stomach hurt. She laughed till she was gasping for breath. She laughed till tears were rolling down her cheeks. She laughed till Laxmi came running down to see if everything was alright. On and on she laughed. And then she laughed some more. Sebastian sunk back into the sofa, feeling dizzy again. Only this time, it wasn't because of his blood sugar. Still laughing uncontrollably, Jaya stood up and walked over. She helped him up and then holding his hand, led him to their bedroom where she tucked him in bed with a loving peck on the cheek and left, still chuckling.

Sebastian was exhausted and confused. More confused than exhausted. Or was it the other way around? He honestly couldn't tell. But exhausted he very much was and fell asleep almost instantly. When he woke up later in the evening, Jaya had become a different person. It was like a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She was smiling again. She wanted to have conversations again. At first, Sebastian thought he was dreaming. But after the initial shock had passed, he stopped questioning what was happening and decided to just roll with it. It was all very awkward and rusty in the beginning, but as the days went by, they slowly started to get better at it. One Sunday, Jaya even cooked Sebastian's favourite sabudana vada for him. She forgot to add salt, but that didn't stop Sebastian from gleefully licking the plate clean. Slowly, Sebastian worked up the courage to ask her out to a movie. Their second first date. She said yes. Loving each other and laughing together, Mr and Mrs Pinto lived happily ever after. Every once in a while, when he was alone, Sebastian would sit down, trying to connect the dots and make some sense out of it all. What had started off as a search for a reincarnated wife had ended with Sebastian and Jaya finding each other. But how were they still together? What had made Jaya fall in love with him again? And why did she laugh? What was so funny? Sebastian would scratch his head and think, think…and think some more. And then, he would simply shake his head and give up.

After all, “God works in mysterious ways,” as Father Lucas often said. Amen to that. ◆◆◆

- The end - ◆◆◆