HIS SECRET SIN

Part two: The bet

One thing you should know about my brother Caleb is that he can't sit still for long. A second is far too long to be idle and not doing anything, and he is so mischievous that he can always find something to amuse himself. The drive to church is twenty minutes long, too long to be cooped up with Caleb. Let's see how he passes the time.

The seating arrangement at the back of Dad's van is me at the extreme left, close to the window behind Dad in the driver's seat. That is my favourite spot anytime we are going somewhere because I like to look out the window and check out the scenery we pass by.

Another person who likes the window spot is Julia. Julia is a whiner and a manipulator, and her usual target is my dad. She only has to shoot out those small cute lips of hers, and Daddy is pooty in her hands. If, for any reason, someone beats her to the window spots and she gets to sit in the middle, that trip is going to be hell cause she will whine all the way there.

So, to spare our ears the whole hassle, Dad usually bribes the twins with something to leave the window spot for her, but this morning, there was no bribing involved because Julia called Dips shortly after I did.

On the other hand, I always make sure to be the first to enter the car to secure my favourite spot.

" Dad, tell Caleb to stop pulling my hair! " Julia's whiny voice filled the few seconds into the trip, followed by a slight snicker from the culprit. I guess we have found out how Caleb will keep himself entertained.

" Caleb, stop pulling your sister's hair, " Dad scolded from the front without losing concentration. It was an automatic response. Julia is always the target for Caleb's mischief. Those two are like cats and rats, always fighting or dragging something. My dad is usually the referee, so his responses have become so automatic that when Joshua or I do something to Julia and she complains, Dad will scream out Caleb's name even when he is absent.

" I don't know what she is talking about, Dad, " Caleb immediately defended, pretending to be offended that he was being accused of something he didn't do. Still, we all know it is an act because a few seconds later when Julia looked distracted, his hand crept up past Joshua, stuck between him and Julia, to pull her hair again, and then quickly faced front like he did nothing.

" Stop it! Caleb, " Julia cried, turning to glare at him. " Stop what? " Caleb retorted, mischief shining from his green eyes, his expression perfecting Alvin's innocent expression.

Julia glared at Caleb. " If you pull my hair again, I will smack you, " she threatened, fire in her eyes. I guess being woken up early this morning has shortened Julia's fuse. She is usually more accommodating of Caleb's silly pranks.

" No one is smacking anybody, " Mum spoke from the front. Julia's face turned sour. " Then he should stop pulling my hair, " she grumbled with her hands folded across her chest, with a miserable look. She wasnt happy that Mum intervened only when she threatened to smack Caleb but nothing when Caleb pulled her hair.

As I said, Mum is usually stricter when it comes to Julia. Maybe because she is the only girl and Dad already spoils her rotten so she tries to overcompensate for that. I understand where she is coming from because if she is lax with my sister, I am afraid to say she will turn out a very spoilt brat, but the underside of her hard handiness when it comes to her only daughter is that Julia translates it to mean that Mum doesn't love her which is not so.

We are almost to the church. About five minutes more, and we will be there, but it seems too long for Caleb to behave. He allowed Julia to rest for a minute before he returned to his prank.

Caleb's hand snuck up again behind Joshua, but Joshua spoke before he could pull Julia's hair.

" Behave, Caleb. " His voice was stern with the authority of an adult. That is Joshua, always acting more maturely than his age. It is not as if he doesn't have his childish moments; he sure does, but he is usually quiet and often on his own.

Caleb's reaction was instant. His hand froze almost to Julia's hair, with a dare caught in a headlight look. He slowly withdrew his finger and turned to look at his twin, a sheepish look in his eyes. Joshua didn't turn to acknowledge him.

After being scolded by his twin, Caleb behaved for the rest of the trip.

Each of us has someone who calls us to heel when we misbehave. For me, it is both of my parents. Yeah, call me a scaredy cat.

I am so terrified of being scolded by my parents that I hardly do anything to displease them, unlike the rest of my siblings, who often refer to me as a wuss because I wouldn't be a part of their party when they want to do something my parents said not to do, but that doesn't mean that I tell on them.

Julia is the family tattletaler. Once you do something, she is off to our parents—that is, unless you bribe her with something. You dare not do the same to her; if not, she wouldn't speak to you for days. Julia certainly knows how to hold a grudge.

So Julia's Achilles heel is my mum. Yeah, she is the only one who can make Julia behave. I try sometimes, but only if she is in a good mood does she listen. For Dad, she always has a way of wriggling herself out of trouble if it is him and the twins. Well, she is their senior, so they have no say.

Joshua is usually a well-behaved child like me but has his naughty moments. At those times, the only thing that will make him behave is my dad or the threat to tell my dad, which I often implore when I want him to listen to me, and he is being obstinate.

Caleb is such a brat that nothing scares him—not me, not my parents—but he does listen to one person, and that is his twin. Caleb and Joshua are so tight that even though they are nothing alike in appearance and personality, their thoughts flow together sometimes. Joshua, being a few minutes older, always has a way of making Caleb stop.

He doesn't abuse that privilege because Caleb is someone who snaps if you push him too hard. He only comes in when things are getting out of hand, like this morning.

He must have seen Julia's cloudy expression, realized that she was a second from pouring, and decided to avert the disaster by calling his twin brother to heel.

Dad drove into the Church compound and found a place to park. Since cars were already in the parking lot, he had to squeeze between an ash-coloured Ford SUV and a light brown Toyota Jeep.

" So, who wants to take a bet with me? " Caleb asked as the car came to a stop.

" Caleb, we are Christians; we don't do bets, " Dad scolded as Julia asked. "What are we betting on? " Caleb looked amused. " How long will it take Dad to fall asleep during Fr. Benedict's preaching? "

" Hey! " Dad protested sharply while everyone in the car laughed.

Fr. Benedict, our parish priest, is well-liked in the community because of his kind and benevolent attitude and his always-present support for his parishioners. However, his preaching is not so well-liked.

His words make a lot of sense and teach you a lot, but he preaches for such a long time that most of the congregation is lost forty-five minutes into his sermon. Some will be distracted and start to gossip or play around; others will be asleep, snoring, or even drooling, and belonging to that group is my dad.

I think Fr. Benedict's shortest preaching time is fifty minutes, and that is because the bishop came around. His usual preaching time is an hour and thirty minutes, sometimes less.

Because of his long Preaching hours, we celebrate mass thrice every Sunday: at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Mum says that she is usually too lazy to attend by the time ten rolls around, so we attend the six-thirty mass, but if for any reason we can't make it in the morning, we go in the evening.

" I will say ten minutes, " Julia said. " Twenty, " Joshua picked. " Thirty, " I said. " I will go for fifteen; Dad is usually among the first to succumb to Fr. hypnosis, " Caleb added with a mocking smile at our dad, who mocked and glared at him.

" Well, I will go for five minutes. "

" Martha! " Dad looked sharply at Mum.

" What! " Mum retorted. It will be fun to find out which one of us is right, and it will give you something to think about so you won't fall asleep. "

"I'm Glad I could be of service, " Dad muttered sarcastically, with no hidden anger at our teasing, as we all stepped down from the car.

" So what does the winner get? " Julia asked, looking at Mum.

Mum tilted her head, thinking of the right prize. " Extra cheesecake at the picnic, " she said with a smile.

" Yes, " we chorused at once, pumping our fist up.

Every Sunday after mass, my family goes on a picnic in the town's park, and my mum's cheesecake, which is out of this world, is a treat we all look forward to. Since it is desert, Mum usually makes it just enough to go around, but because of its wonderful taste, we are always left with an unsatisfied feeling for more. When we asked Mum why she wouldn't make it excess, she said that if she did, we might get sick of it, so she rations it to keep whetting our appetite.

" If your famous cheesecake is the prize, I might as well join in, " Dad said. We all looked at him, waiting for him to say a number.

" That is not fair, " Julia interrupted. If he participates in the bet, he will not fall asleep until the time he chooses, " Julia whined. Honey, you don't have to worry about that. Your father has never been able to control when he falls asleep. If sleep comes, I assure you he will fall asleep, "Mum assured Julia before turning to Dad. So darling, your number. "

Dad rolled his eyes at her. " Forty minutes. "

" You think you can last that long? " Mum teased with a twinkle in her blue eyes. I know I can," Dad muttered confidently. We will see. "

We all turned towards the church. My family entered the main building, and I headed in another direction. I was part of the mass servants this Sunday.

Inside the small room mass servers usually dress up, I threw my vestment over my clothes and tied it off with a green bold rope.

Today is a Sunday in the ordinary time of the year, so the colour theme is milk and green. We are about five mass servants officiating today: one person to carry the processional cross, which will be me; two to carry the altar white candle; a fourth to carry the thurible for the burning incense; and the fifth to carry the bell.

" Good morning, Fr. " the five of us greeted when Fr. Benedict joined us in the room, already in his green priest apparel.

" Is everyone ready? " he asked.

We all nodded and then lined up. The bell bearer shook his hand vigorously, sounding the bell that announced our entrance. The choir started a hymn to lead us inside.

After the three Bible readings, Fr. Benedict mounted the pulpit to begin his sermon. I looked into the congregation to find my family. Caleb and Julia caught my eyes, and we all smiled secretly as he started preaching.

I ask God to please forgive me because today, I didn't pay attention to God's words flowing out of Fr. Benedict's mouth but was more focused on my dad, waiting for him to fall asleep. I love cheesecake.

I smiled when I saw him nod off and looked down at the bold-faced watch on my wrist. Twenty minutes. Joshua wins.