The Holy Death

Chapter 14

"Well, sweetheart, you know, when a guy gets to a certain age, he starts to look back on his life, and the fact is, I've kinda made a mess of things. I figured, hell, you're never too old for second chances, right? Better late than never, you know?"

"And that's it?" Scott asked.

"Well, and to meet you, brother!"

The statement seemed honest enough. Perhaps Doug really did want to meet him. However, Scott knew that wasn't his only motivation. But before he could press the issue further, his senses were distracted as Jeremiah walked in the front door of the pub. Scott waved to him.

"Hey, Doug, I'd like to introduce a good friend of mine." Scott stood and shook Jeremiah's hand, but the large African grabbed him and, in a somewhat uncharacteristic move, embraced him.

"Ah, my friend!" Jeremiah said, "It is good to see you!"

"Uh, yeah. Uh, you're cutting off my circulation."

Jeremiah released Scott. "Ah, so sorry. And Dawn! You look absolutely ravishing this day!"

"Why, thank you!" Dawn said.

"And this must be Douglas," Jeremiah reached across the table to shake Doug's hand. Doug rose to greet the newcomer. "I have heard so much about you!"

"And I've heard nothing about you, Mister?"

"Jeremiah. Please. Call me Jeremiah."

Jeremiah took a seat as the others resumed theirs. "All right, Jeremiah," Doug said, "Any friend of my little brother here is a friend of mine, and I'm buying. So, what'll you have?"

"Oh, I'll have a stout!"

"Ah, I get it! Thick and dark, just like you, huh?"

Dawn and Scott thought the statement was borderline insulting, and not actually funny. Jeremiah must have disagreed, as he burst out laughing at the stupid joke. "Ah! This one has a delightful sense of humor, does he not, Scott?"

Jeremiah certainly seemed to be in a good mood today. A really good mood. Scott wondered what was up with that -- or, more likely, who was up with that. "Oh, huh, yeah. Yeah, that's that old Campbell sense of humor! Hey, Dawn?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Let's go over and look at that vintage World War Two British recruitment poster and let these guys get to know each other!"

"Why?"

Scott jerked his head in the direction of the poster. "Because you really like old posters, Dawn!"

"What? Oh. Oh yeah! I really like old posters! That's totally me!"

Dawn and Scott rose from the table as Doug called after her, "Well, now I know what to get my future sister-in-law for her birthday!"

Scott pulled Dawn into the darkened corner at the opposite side of pub next to the yellowed poster. "Dawn, isn't this getting weirder and weirder by the minute?"

"Yeah, you mean like you ordering fish and chips?"

"Yeah, like me ordering fish and chips. No! Okay, isn't Jeremiah more... I don't know... more jovial than usual?"

"I'm not the master's degree candidate, Scott, so dumb it down for me, okay?"

"I'm saying he's acting odd. Really odd. Haven't you noticed? I mean, he hasn't stopped smiling since he got here! I mean big smiling!"