A Daughter of Light(A Light onto the World)

Chapter 21

Marimar 

Chapter 21

 

Of course I was wrong.  When Papa came home the first thing we did was tell him what happened in the bedroom — with a few exclusions regarding Sage — and he just shook it off.

“How do you not believe me?” I ask angrily.

“Because it’s not possible,” Papa answers stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh, you got me, we made it all up.  I even had Marisol bite me for a special effect,” I retort, causing Papa to get red in the face.

“You know the girls wouldn’t lie to us,” Mama calmly responds, pretending that I hadn’t spoken.

“I’m not saying they did, Ana.  All I’m saying is that ghosts aren’t real.  There is no heaven and there is no hell.  When we die, we’re dead, we’re worm food, and we no longer exist.”

“But Papa, who says there isn’t another alternative?  Scientist can’t even explain away everything.  They can’t even agree on how the world was created, how we were created.  The thing is we don’t know all the answers.  Anything is possible.”

“So now you’re religious all of a sudden?”

“I’m just saying that maybe there is a higher power, that God does exist, and so do spirits.”

“Let me ask you something.”

“Ask away.”

“What does your boyfriend believe in?”

“Excuse me?”

“What does your —?”

“What does that matter?”

“Can’t you just answer the question?”

“He doesn’t have a religion.…”

“So he doesn’t believe in God?”

Lie, lie, lie.

“He does.”  Damn it, why didn’t I lie?

“Ah-hah!  I knew it.”

“He has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, he doesn’t?”

“Exactly.”

“I knew that boy was a bad —”

“— influence?  I’m not being influenced by anybody!  You know what, scratch that, I have been influenced by George!”  I show him my arm; I unwrap the bandage so that he can see the teeth marks.  He brushes his fingers along it.

“Ow!  I tell you it hurts and you touch it?”

“Sorry, but I don’t know what to tell you.  I don’t see a bite mark.  All I see is a red scab.”

“What?  No way.  No freaking way!”  In place of the individual teeth marks is a crescent shaped scab which looks like it could be a bite mark, but could have been made by something else.

“What do you guys want to eat?” Papa asks as we cross the street, making our way to Moo Burger.  Papa’s taking us out for a treat to get our minds off of home.  It’s Papa’s way of humoring us.  He even let us bring Trevor who we left in the van with the windows down.

“A cheeseburger, small fries, and a chocolate shake.” 

“Me too please,” Marisol says.

“I’m getting the same, except I want a strawberry shake,” Mama replies.