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------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- “I know you like to plan ahead, Morrie, but I’m on the pill!” ------- Terry was grinning as she handed him the box. ------- “What’s this?” ------- “Didn’t you order them?” ------- “A thousand prophylactics? No, Terry. I didn’t order this. Do you have the package it came in?” ------- Morris studied the mailing label. “It’s our box number, but the wrong zip. See on the invoice? It should have gone to Heaven’s Gate.” ------- “The church! They ordered a thousand condoms?” ------- “Church or religious order, whatever they are. Maybe we should hand deliver this stuff.” ------- “Not me, Morrie! I couldn’t keep a straight face.” ------- “And you think I can?” ------- “I know you can. Go on, they’re probably desperate.” ------- ------- Heaven’s Gate was buried in the wooded hills of South Wellfleet, a small community of buildings and private homes surrounding a large church. The church, almost a small cathedral, reminded Morris of those bizarre constructions that were the life’s work of a madman. Beside it, a square tower rose to over a hundred feet like the medieval Italian fortresses that were partly expressions of power and partly a rude finger to the other clans. -------The place appeared to be deserted. There was no one at the reception desk in the main building. Morris wandered down a spacious hallway filled with paintings and statuary until he found an occupied office. The sign beside the door said, ‘Sister Mary Magdalene’ An attractive woman smiled up at him. ------- “Good morning, sir. Can I help you?” ------- “’Morning, Sister. I think this is yours. It came to us by mistake.” He set the box on her desk. ------- “Yes, I can see that,” she said. “The wrong zip code. It was kind of you to bring it.” She smiled at him. “I’m Sister Mary.” -------“Morris Lerner. It was no trouble, Sister. Quite a place you have here.” The woman hadn’t batted an eye at the box of condoms. -------“It’s a wonderful place. Have you seen the inside of our church? Most of the sisters are at a retreat, but I’d be glad to show you around. You might find it interesting.” ------- “Sure, why not,” Maurice said. “I’m Jewish, but I find all religions interesting.” ------- “We have sisters from many faiths beside Christianity,” Sister Mary said, “Jews, Buddhists, Muslims. Most Christians forget that Jesus himself was a practicing Jew. A lot of people think we’re a cult, but we just want to live our lives the way Jesus did, praising God and doing good.” ------- Morris knew what people said about Heaven’s Gate, but Sister Mary didn’t seem like a fanatic. She was an attractive woman, which her plain long dress emphasized rather than concealed. She seemed sincere, but Morris hadn’t survived in a dangerous trade by making hasty judgments. ------- -------. “Meeting rooms all along here, the kitchen and refectory, a big parish hall. We’re planning to open a non-denominational conference center after we build our hotel. There’ll be an Olympic-sized pool beyond the tennis courts. That’s my game, tennis. She grinned. Almost my favorite activity. Do you play, Morris?” ------- “Not for a while, Sister. I lift weights.” ------- “Mmm, I thought you might,” Sister Mary said. “Consulting rooms, we do a lot of counseling. You might not think it, but there’s a great deal of mental turmoil here on the Cape.” ------- “I lived in Florida, Sister,” Morris said. “Mental confusion does well in resort areas. You have professional counselors?” ------- “Of course. We’re professional in every way. I sense you are as well.” ------- “Not to speak of,” Morris said. “This is certainly impressive!” ------- They had entered the main body of the church. ------- “It’s our great joy,” Sister Mary said. “The nave isn’t finished, but it’s nearly so. We plan to clad the walls in Jerusalem stone. It took the medieval world hundreds of years to build a cathedral, but we don’t have that kind of time. Do we, Morris?” ------- “I doubt it,” Morris agreed. “Very nice. Reminds me of Ely Cathedral, on a smaller scale. Impressive organ, too.” ------- “It’s a Skinner. We rescued it from an old department store. Man plans, God laughs. Isn’t that an old rabbinic saying?” ------- “A Yiddish proverb. Mentsch tracht, Gott lacht. It’s really from the Psalms.” ------- “Yes, I suppose so. I spend a great deal of time in here praying. That may seem strange for a busy woman, but I find it productive. I don’t know if anyone is listening, and I certainly don’t know if my prayers are answered, but it seems like the thing to do. Part of being human. Do you pray, Morris?” ------- Morris didn’t answer for moment. “I hadn’t thought of it as prayer,” he said. ------- Sister Mary took Morris on what she called her VIP tour, pointing out the church’s beauties and peculiarities, “and the naughty little jokes, Morris, just like in the Medieval cathedrals. For good or ill we don’t change much do we, still yeomen, knaves, and fools.” ------- “Fools especially,” Morris agreed. ------- “Mmm,” Sister Mary, said. “But not you. Here we are. I’ve saved the best for last. I wonder what you’ll think of it.” She took a bunch of keys from her pocket and fitted one into the lock of an inconspicuous door. ------- “Go in, Morris.” ------- It was a large room, luxuriously furnished. The illumination from a skylight was suffuse. Music played softly, maybe a Brahms concerto. The scent he’d noticed surrounding Sister Mary was stronger here. The most conspicuous piece of furniture was an ornate king-sized bed. ------- Sister Mary closed the door behind her and slid home a sturdy bolt. -------“We won’t be disturbed,” she said. “Officially this is our ‘Hospitality Suite’.” She stood closer to Morris and touched his cheek with her fingers. “But I prefer,” she said softly, “to call it ‘The Rumpus Room’.” -------Morris had been cautious in his emotional entanglements, almost to the point of celibacy. So many of the men Morris had known in his former life could relate to women only through violence. Sister Mary was attractive, but she was no threat. He gently took her hand from his cheek, gave it a little squeeze, and let it go. He presumed there was a video camera concealed among the furbelows, but perhaps he was wrong. ------- “No one could accuse Heaven’s Gate of being inhospitable,” he said. “Sorry, Sister, it’s a generous offer, but I have to get along to the grocery store. My partner gave me a list.” ------- “Oh, what a shame,” Sister Mary said. ------- As he drove away, Morris glanced at the tower and smiled. Maybe not a finger after all. ------- |