SIDELINES : Wildflower One Shots and Short Shots

TGWSMW : Joshua the Sinner

Video and story inspired by the amazing The Girl Who Stole My World by @whiskeyqueenn  and fingers crossed that it will soon be published. 

Joshua the Sinner

Today, two bangers brought a foolish young man to me, as a favor for an old acquaintance and fellow mother I know through an online book club site. Two mothers from very different worlds with very similar ideas about a mother's duty. Joshua is sitting between thug one and thug two, looking terrified and squirmy while they devour big plates of breakfast foods, calling me ma'am and mama, while they tell me about their all-night drive. I am being a typical concerned motherly figure.

"Oh, my poor darlings. Well, you can rest while mama takes care of this one, and I'll cook for you, so you can have decent food while you travel home. Now tell me all about Maizey's 'friend' here."

Ten minutes in I stop them, Joshua is now guiltier looking and scrunched down shorter than my terrier after he chewed my slippers. Hearing his selfishness proclaimed in disgusted tones by two sworn gang members has him cringing. These boys would shoot someone as much as look at them, talking about him like HE is the scum of the earth. To these two who have spilled the blood of their enemies, Joshua is the bigger sinner because he tried to murder an innocent's soul. The reason: pure old fashioned, selfish LUST. I know these boys have sisters, cousins, female friends, and the thought of doing even half of what we suspect and know this person has done to someone they were supposed to love is making them both angry. They look like they want to drag him out to my barn and beat him again. I almost let them.

"Enough boys, finish your breakfast, shower, and get some sleep. I'll deal with this one. I won't have such negativity in my home." I give them my best mom smile, "Maybe I'll have the girls take you around the touristy sites up the mountains. You'll a good time sightseeing, I promise." These two hardened criminals light up like boys on Christmas morning. They have never seen mountains like the ones we have in the northern Rockies.

Leading the way to my guestroom, I hand Joshua a notebook and pen. "You need to make a list of your sins against that girl, her family, and your family. You have one hour while I bake cookies. Oh and Joshua, make your list as accurate as possible because for everything my list has that your list doesn't, there will be a penance. You do not want me supervising your penance. My list is 8 pages from our mutual friend." And I leave him locked in my guest room.

Stephen comes over, and stuffs himself with my delicious food because that's what my friends do, either I cook here, or I cook at their places, none of my friends complain about that... ever. Stephen is a very sweet guy who would pull the stars from the sky to help a friend but an enemy... well, let us just say his dedication goes fervently both ways... The hour goes by and Joshua is sitting on the bed crying, several pages are crumpled on the floor. My friend Stephen standing beside me, glares at him like the grim reaper incarnate. His dark eyes holding the promise of limitless pain after hearing only the most simplified description of Joshua's story. Stephen was married to a female version of Joshua only he didn't find out he was the Blue in the relationship for 5 years.

"I need more time" Josh begs.

"Oh of course, I'll give you another hour or so."

This repeats until almost dawn, with me providing food and more paper every two or three hours. My guest room has no windows, it is an odd little box filed with an eclectic mix of books from my college years; art, history, nursing, anatomy and physiology, religious studies, abnormal psychology, criminology, forensic studies. A single book rests on the night table, Dante's Inferno. On the desk ,a neat row of books on recovering from betrayal. I redecorated just for Joshua's visit. On the wall above the desk, a poster; "The Lutheran Penitential Rite of Confession and Prayer for Grace"