Chapter 13

“Hanna, this is an unexpected pleasure,” Kiku said as Hanna entered the war room.

“It was a little unexpected for me too, when I found out Keiko had given birth almost a year ago, and you didn’t tell me, and guess how I found out?”

“Hanna I can see you’re upset but let me explain. But first how did you find out?”

“The Reverend Matthew Billingsley told me over lunch yesterday.”

“Eeeee, Reverend Billingsley knows? Does he know he’s the father?”

“Of course he knows she has a child but he doesn’t know he is the father. At least not yet. He ran into Keiko yesterday when he was visiting the sick.”

“Keiko is not sick is she?”

“No, but she lives near someone who is and when Matt was leaving, Keiko was returning home from getting rice, Matt insisted on helping her and when she opened the door her little boy ran out. Matt got a good look at the child and mentioned to me, his light coloring. I think I took his mind off of the child but he’s not stupid. My, guess is that it’s only a matter of time before he becomes aware.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was hoping to keep this away from Reverend Billingsley, and I knew you had to see him from time to time on my behalf, that you prepared Western meals for him, and taught him about the Kabala.”

“So?”

“If you knew you would always be on the guard not to say anything about it and this would change your demeanor around him. As you said, he’s not stupid. He would have noticed the difference right away, and sought an answer. By not telling you, I hoped to avoid that situation and save you from having to watch your every word.

“If the Reverend finds out, I fear that he will refuse to continue, even when Yuki-Ona has been observed.”

“I guess I understand your thinking, but when Matt told me I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. I need to ask, are there any more?”

“Two.”

“Two more! Oh, shit.”

“We knew this could happen, the ladies knew it was a possibility, and while it was never spoken of with Reverend Billingsley he must have in some sense known it too. I don’t count Meiko because pregnancy was her goal. Out of over two hundred opportunities and only three. That’s less than two percent. I’d judge that as pretty good. It could be worse.”

“Could be worse! How the hell could it be worse?”

“We already have two who are pregnant so far this year.”

“How can that be? It’s only been two months and so far he’s only screwing once a night. I feel like the little Dutch boy with his finger in the dike, except we are being inundated.”

“The two ladies were ovulating when they visited The Reverend on their first nights. I try to avoid this when I make up the schedules but not all of the ladies are regular in their periods. The two have missed two periods.

“Damn. Who are they? Is there anything I can do?”

“Mariko Miyamoto and Riko Kitano. Everything’s taken care of.”

“How?”

“Hiroto gives me more money than I could ever spend so I am using it to help those in the community who require it.”

“To those in your church?”

“That is not what Jesus teaches us. Give unto others regardless of their faiths, according to their needs.”

“Sounds a little like Karl Marx,” thought Hanna. “Well said, Kiku. If more of us followed your lead this would be a better world.”

“I’m not trying to start a crusade, this is just part of my spiritual relationship with my God. What others do is their business and none of mine.”

“Kiku, you’re a mensch.”

Kiku looked confused at the Yiddish word for a person of honor and integrity, but made no reply.

“The two pregnant ladies and one of the women with a child are married and well cared for. For the two pregnant ladies this will be their first child so there are no children in the home to make comparisons with. It will be fine.”

“What if someone talks? How can this be kept a secret? Sooner or later someone is going to let it slip.”

“I have had serious discussions with the ladies in question about the consequences if the Reverend gets wind of it. Of course the married ladies have good reason not to reveal the true father. Still I realize it will come to the fore whether I want it to or not. I just hope that by that time there will be so many children that The Reverend will consider them collectively rather than individually.”

“I’ve got to hand it to you Kiku, you can keep more balls in the air than any juggler I have ever seen.”

Matt had stopped on his way to his office to listen to the Choir at practice. They were on the second verse of Were You There, one of Matt’s favorites. The strength of the voices filling the church always filled him with the spirit. As he watched and listened as Mr. Tanaka squeezed that last bit from each member, a woman broke from the group and dashed for the bathroom. The choir continued but the absence of her voice was noticeable.

Later when Matt asked about the young woman he was informed that she had eaten a bad fish head that morning and would be just fine in a day or two.

“I’m sorry to say I did not recognize her. What’s her name?”

“Mariko Miyamoto,” said Mr. Tanaka.

“Tell her I asked about her and that if there’s anything I can do, to please let me know.” Convinced there was nothing further he could do to aid the woman Matt promptly forgot the incident and preceded to his office.

Even though Hanna had persuaded him otherwise, Matt still pondered on the fate of Keiko’s child. He realized he didn’t know if it was a boy or girl. Surely there must be something that he could do? Lacking any revelations from God, he decided that next week after seeing the sick he would go and visit Keiko. “He would take some konpeido* for the child. All children like sugar candy,” he thought.

Now it was time to put the finishing touches on his sermon for Sunday.

There was good attendance when Matt gained the pulpit the following Sunday.

“Another beautiful rendering by the choir. Domo arigato Mr. Tanaka. Go Tell it on The Mountain, is one of my favorites and I come here today to tell it from the mountain. The mountain of hope and everlasting love.

“One night, unable to sleep, I struggled, as, I’m sure many of you do, with thoughts of my place in life. Am I doing what’s best for me? Would I be happier if I sought the pleasures that life can offer?

“Worldly pleasures are ever present. Most of us struggle with them every day.

“In First Kings, we are told that the love of the world of pleasure had produced a ceaseless round of pleasure, and had insensibly corrupted the heart of Solomon and that Solomon abandoned his God. He was so besotted by his wives that he turned to false Gods. At his wives urging, Solomon erected altars for the worship of, among others, Ashtoreth the whore goddess of the Sidonians as well as Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.

“The Grace of God deserted Solomon and he became an old and foolish king, and God destroyed his kingdom under the rule of his son, Rehoboam. The sin of the father was visited upon the child.

“Let us not allow the pleasures of the world to corrupt our hearts from the path of righteousness. Let us go forth in the firm knowledge that our God loves us, and wants us to find happiness, and we can find that happiness and everlasting life through our belief in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

“Let us pray. Oh, heavenly father watch over us as we continue our journey in this life and make a place for us with you in the next. We ask this in thy name. Amen.”

“Fine service, Reverend Billingsley sama,” said Hiroto. “We could all do with a little less pleasure and a little concern for those less fortunate than ourselves.”

“Thank you Hiroto, nice to see you well and you too Kiku, you are looking lovely as usual.”

Kiku, thanked him for the compliment turning a little crimson.

Keiko said, “Lovely service Reverend sama.”

“Good to see you again Keiko, where’s Matsuki?”

“He’s in the nursery. I’m going to get him now. Have a nice day Reverend sama‘

“And you, Keiko.”

Meiko, returning from the nursery with her son, stopped to commend Matt on the service.

“He doesn’t look much like Yoshido,” Matt said to himself, after Meiko had left. “His eyes seem, in some way, different.”

Matt gave three raps on the wooden door and waited.

As the door slowly opened he saw Keiko appear from the inner shadows.