Chapter 8

There was one source of extra income available Khedra mentioned that Ana had no difficulty in contemplating, and that was to escort prisoners on the privileged day release they were deemed to have earned. So it was that Ana found herself on Sunday morning escorting Ferhana to the Cathedral of Blad, a privilege readily granted in recognition of her positive attitude and good behaviour. It seemed to Ana a fairly pleasant way to earn extra pay at time and a quarter.

She met Ferhana in the foyer of the Brothel, where for all but the administrative staff it was just a normal day. Ana was dressed in the same clothes she'd worn for her interview, and scarcely recognised Ferhana in the modest and demure clothes she was wearing. Her dress was made of dark purple crush velvet and covered her from her neck, where it constrained her throat, down to her ankle boots. She was waiting for Ana with the Brothel Chaplain, a small leather handbag clasped to her side.

Chadora, the chaplain, was a short woman of medium build who wore the dark heavy clothes of her profession, her head covered by a modest cap and a cross secured around her neck and dangling over her breast. Her duties kept her very busy, Ana had heard, as so many prostitutes felt the need for her spiritual advice and for someone to listen to their confessions. She smiled as Ana approached.

"You've come in good time," she laughed. "We've got enough time to walk to the cathedral. It's a nice sunny day." She beckoned to Ferhana. "Come along, dear. It must be quite a time since you last had a day outside the brothel walls."

"It must be more than a month," Ferhana admitted.

They strode out of the foyer, which was very quiet this early in the morning. There was only one man milling around - clearly undecided as to whether to take advantage of the Brothel's services - and the receptionists were laughing and chatting over idle computer screens and Sunday morning papers. Ana enjoyed Sundays in the city of Blad. It was so much more peaceful with all the shops closed and no commuters about. If the city were always like this, she'd even prefer it to Rif.

Ferhana paused and blinked as they left the main entrance, accustoming herself to the greater expanse of space that welcomed them. The sky was clear, and the office buildings opposite cast well-defined shadows.

"Have you ever been to the Cathedral, Ana dear?" wondered Chadora.

"No, not at all! I've seen the photographs. It looks enormous!"

"It is indeed. The people of Blad have expressed their devotion in great style and dignity. Let's see! The best way there is probably down there." She indicated a broad avenue leading to the right. "Right! Let's get going. We don't want to be late for the service."

The three walked along, with Ferhana unusually mute, presumably lost in her own thoughts. Ana didn't want to interrupt her reverie, so she chatted with Chadora. The chaplain was very interested in how Ana was fitting in with brothel life.

"It must be a very strange place to be working as a secretary."

"No more so than as a chaplain, I'd have thought."

"Oh! Not at all! There's been a very long tradition of religious devotion amongst those engaged in what they call the oldest profession. It's not for me to say why I believe that should be so, just as it isn't for me to pass comment on the girls' chosen careers. There are undoubtedly stresses and uncertainties that their kind of work brings them, and I hope that in my capacity as their spiritual advisor I can bring a measure of comfort to their lives."

"It's not a chosen career for all of us," commented Ferhana slightly bitterly.

Ana looked at her companion, wondering if she could tell from her face what her feelings were; but Ferhana's face had relaxed into an inscrutable smile.

"Indeed not, Ferhana dear," agreed Chadora. "And it is a special duty which I am proud to make available to those who have not exactly entered the brothel by choice. In fact, Ana, I'd say that the majority of my time is spent counselling prostitutes who are serving penal sentences."

"Do you ever see Binta?"

"Binta?" wondered Chadora. "There are several girls here with that name. Which Binta do you mean?"

"She means her friend. The lesbian from Jebel. The girl she spends so much time chatting with in the canteen and in her room."

Ana blushed. She hadn't thought that her friendship with Binta had attracted so much attention. Was Ferhana expressing resentment at Ana's friendship? If so, her face didn't express any sign of it. And anyway, Ana reflected, why should Ferhana or anyone else mind that she was developing such a close friendship? She had no friends in Blad other than those she had made at the Brothel.

"Binta. Yes, I know. I've seen her. From a distance, that is. But she's never come to see me for spiritual guidance. Unusual in a way, because it is often girls serving time for sexual misdemeanours such as the ones she's committed that are most solicitous of my time. Theirs is a difficult sin for me to counsel - particularly as sections of the Church are undecided about the nature of it. Some, and I won't claim to be one of them, say that it isn't the rôle of either the church or state to give more than advice on such behaviour."

"What do you say to lesbians when they see you?" wondered Ana.

Chadora looked steadily at Ana, as if to assess her feelings. "I tell them that the church's rôle in Alif is to urge compliance to the law and that it is not for us to ever suggest that anyone should in any way diverge from that proper observance. I tell them that they must repress any criminal tendencies they may have, and if they find this difficult to seek guidance in the message of Jesus Christ Our Saviour. I do not tell them that their behaviour is wrong or sinful. That is for them to find in their understanding of the Holy Scriptures."

"Just as you don't condemn me for drinking alcohol," laughed Ferhana.

"Well, you don't drink any these days, do you, Ferhana dear. Not that you could even if you wanted to. But please don't misunderstand me. I know that there is a difference between complying with the law from agreement with its virtue and from fear of its penalties. I hope that all the wards in my spiritual care learn to observe it willingly and not from sufferance."

"Would you condemn Binta for being a lesbian?"

"Whatever your friend has done in the past is something for which she is already punished. I can do no more than help her, if she came to me, in facing up to her sentence in the brothel; and if she asked me for guidance in mending her tendencies towards criminal sexual behaviour I would give her all the assistance it is in my power to give. But less of that! Look at the wonderful sight of the Cathedral."

Chadora indicated its massive bulk that lay ahead of them in a large public square populated mostly by pigeons and the odd Sunday stroller. A statue of President Marmeluke stood at its centre, striking a heroic gesture towards the flying buttresses, spires and gargoyles of the Cathedral. Ana had never in her life seen such a majestic building. The towers had such grandeur, the stones composing it were so massive and the dome at the top looked as if it could hold several of the churches she was so much more familiar with.

"You may wonder why prostitutes and criminals alike find comfort from religion," Chadora continued thoughtfully as they wandered across the massive square. "There are two main reasons I feel. One is that Jesus Christ has promised forgiveness for our sins, if we truly repent them. For criminals such as Ferhana and your friend, Binta, the true forgiveness offered to us by Our Saviour is undeniably of comfort. For other prostitutes, whose work is hardly illegal, it is more difficult to explain why they desire Jesus' forgiveness. However, just because something is legal or even encouraged by the state does not necessarily make that thing virtuous. There are many prostitutes who regard the practice of prostitution as necessarily sinful despite the approval given it by our government, and it is to salve their consciences that they look to Christ's forgiveness.

"The other reason, I believe, is the comfort and succour that Christ offers all believers in the promise of a better life in the hereafter. The life of the prostitute can be a hard one. I know from my counselling that it brings great distress and some pain to some of my wards. Their hope is that their devotion to Jesus Christ will be rewarded in the afterlife and that in this way their lives will not be merely ones of suffering, with the constant anxiety of how their performance and appearance rating becomes inevitably downgraded as they age. However, let us think now of the glory of Jesus Christ and His love for us, as we enter this hallowed place."

Chadora led Ana and Ferhana through the wide and tall open doors into the interior of the Cathedral, which impressed Ana more than the outside. The ceiling was so high! It was a wonder it didn't collapse. But she noted with relief the many columns and beams, and how very substantial they were. The Cathedral was illuminated by beams of sunlight radiating through stained glass windows high above, which cast a magical kaleidoscope of colour at their feet. As if this light were not enough, thousands of candles were lit all around them, including some on a massive candelabrum supported by a long cable to the very tip of the dome and dangling yards above their heads. Chadora and Ferhana crossed themselves solemnly as they walked down the wide aisle looking for available seats amongst the already very full congregation. The echoing music of an enormous organ came from all directions. Its source was high above them where a small figure was massaging the many pedals with his feet.

The service matched the cathedral in its grandeur and pomp. Every aspect of the service outmatched those she was familiar with in Rif on the occasions her family had enticed her into a church. The raiment of the minister was magnificent, decorated with gold and silver. The choir was dressed in beautiful ornate white cloth and their voices echoed to the hymns with a purity in intonation and quality in delivery she had previously only heard on compact disc. The priest's voice resonated with an authority and power that left Ana in total awe. This was so much more impressive than the relatively amateur services in the Rif churches, which relied so much on the voluntary services of the congregation.