The coffee had grown cold during their conversation. They didn’t seem to notice.
Al reached across the table and touched her hand. “We haven’t had much contact since seminary, but I’ve always seen you as a friend in ministry. It hurts to see you in this much pain.”
“Thanks, Al. I’ll be all right. It just hurts to see people suffer when all they want is to have a decent life. It’s just not right.”
“This is the pastor speaking, Carla. Stay in touch with that anger and tell me who you are angry with. Is it the one you call a coyote, the border guards, God, who?”
“I’d like to kill that coyote with my bare hands. No, better, I would like to castrate him with a rusty knife, really slow, and watch him scream in horror.” She brushed her hand as if swatting a fly. “But he’s such an insignificant insecto, he doesn’t even deserve to be squashed. No, what I’m really angry about is how easily most of the world just ignores the suffering like it wasn’t important.”
As if to reinforce what she was saying, some laughter burst forth from another table and two people rose to give each other a high five. Both Al and Carla looked over at them and then back at each other.
“I wish I had a descent answer for that, Carla. Not at the depth that you have described, but in some ways as a pastor I see people’s capacity to shield themselves from other people’s pain all the time. To be honest, I do that myself sometimes.”
“I don’t expect an answer,” said Carla. I just need to share with someone I can trust. What do you expect will happen at the Presbytery meeting?”
“To be honest,” Al grimaced, “I think they will admire you for your courage, be touched by your stories, and be afraid to take any significant action that might upset the people in their congregations.”
Carla threw up her hands as if to defend herself. “You don’t have to pull your punches, Al. Go ahead and tell me the whole truth.”
“I guess I could have softened that a bit.”
“No, Al, I’ve always known you as someone who speaks straight. I need to know what to expect.
“I’m sure that some will want to say that even though it is tragic, still they were breaking the law when they tried to cross the border.”
“And they will be right. But the law they are breaking is a misdemeanor. People shouldn’t die for a misdemeanor.”
SMcCutchan