Apocalypse of Jude

After Mae is gone, Caul calms himself to finish his cup of coffee before leaving. As he exits and begins to cross the courtyard, he sees Audrey emerge with Evelin from their office, leaving behind the empty rooms and broken seals of their lean solicitor. He stops them short, his mind resonating with Evelin’s presence in his morning dream.

“Hello.” He addresses Audrey. “I haven’t seen you for a while.”

“Likewise. Oh, this is Evelin. Evelin, Caul.”

Evelin smiles. “Yes, I know. Caul and I were at school together. Always very intense and moody.”

She kind of impersonates Caul’s heavy manner in a light-hearted manner that forces him to smile despite himself. He looks back at Audrey.

“Where you off to?”

Evelin answers. “We’ve decided to pack in a half day today, to go get ready for a Christmas Eve celebration. You want to come? Audrey hasn’t come up with anyone to invite yet. So you can be her guest.”

He looks at Audrey, wanting a sign of confirmation from her, but only gets a look of bewilderment. Nevertheless, the sudden option floods him with relief and he decides to take it.

“I like that idea. Sounds like fun. Would solve my problem of not having to go where I don’t want to tonight.”

Evelin gives him a card on which she has hastily scrawled a telephone number.

“Give me call later, to let me know for sure. But it’s seven for seven thirty, and dress with a comfortable sense of sophistication that wants to chat.”

He laughs. “With pleasure.”

“We must go. Hope to see you tonight.”

“Sure.”

The two of them move on beyond Caul, where Audrey turns almost harshly on Evelin.

“I can’t believe you invited him just like that.”

“I didn’t do it just like that.” Evelin snaps her fingers. “I think I was meant to invite him.”

Audrey, still irritated, gives a half glare. “What are you talking about?”

Evelin turns to her and looks straight at her.

“Remember when you asked me yesterday why I invited you for Christmas Eve dinner, and I said because God sometimes puts a desire of His in my heart. Well the same thing just happened now, only this was like a ringing bell going off in my head.”

They carry on walking.

“Geoff and I have been praying for Caul for about seven months now. It’s been kind of weird. Both Geoff and I have known Caul since school, but we’ve never been very close, and haven’t had contact with him for years. Then all of a sudden, seven months ago, Geoff just started getting this heavy burden to pray for Caul. And so we have, and it all just came together now. Geoff will be excited to hear about this.”

Evelin faces Audrey from across the roof of her parked car and laughs her gay laugh.

“You think I’m nuts don’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, that’s because you’re still blind to God’s work in the world. But if you accept Christ, I promise you, life with Him has this secret garden that opens up to you, and you’re eight years old again dreaming you’re a grown princess been taken away by a dashing prince, only this time its true. Now, let’s go to my grandmother’s house.”

Wasteland Mix: Fragment 106