Between You And Me

8~Take Me to Church

There are very faint memories of St. John, of church in general, although I do believe this place had a coffee shop inside which I found insane years ago and still find insane today. Through the grand entrance, we were greeted with the vastness of a mall setting rather than the typical church, with groups roaming around the gift shops and cafés. Above, there were three portraits: one of Jesus Christ, one of The Divine family, a poised woman, a stern-looking man, and boy grinning with a gap between his teeth, and one of the church ministry squished together on the front lawn of the church. The secretary, Julia, rushed us passed a Christian sportswear shop as she spoke with Director Cross about the Divine’s busy schedule, so their son, Anthony, would be the one he’ll be speaking with, and that he’s extremely lucky. Director Cross just nodded, keeping pace with her. Compared to his calm, business-like demeanor, I looked like a gaping fish out of the water as we headed upstairs where there was a members-only gym and spa, along with a bookshop and toy store.

There’s no way this place is a church, I thought, passing a members-only lounge. This is a goddamn shopping mall. And everything from their purchases of caramel lattes to the Divine Ministry's Family t-shirts went straight to…

“Well, hello, hello,” a gentleman greeted us in a deep yet cheerful voice. At the top of the stairs stood a tall, dashing young man, either in his late twenties or early thirties. It took me a moment to realize he was the boy in the family portrait, now grown and his teeth gleaming white and straightened. A well-tailored suit hugged his body, his muscles pronounced beneath the material when he stretched his arm to shake his hand but relaxed enough to cross them against his bulky chest.

“Mighty nice of you both to join us this gracious morning.”

There was a southern drawl to his voice which made me flinch, a touch of a memory tapping on my mind then disappearing before I could capture it. That’s been happening a lot lately.

Cross answered for the both of us. “Thank you for having us, Mr. Divine.”

Mr. Divine chuckled in response. “Mr. Divine is my father; call me Anthony.” His brown eyes flickered at me standing behind Cross. He took a bold step past him to speak to me personally, a handsome grin grazing his face. “Miss Daphne Brookshaw, as I live and breathe. It is an honor to meet you. I’m an avid fan.”

Quickly, he grasped my hand to shake it wholeheartedly. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Cross wince at the gesture. He probably looks intimidating because of his tall stature compared to mine. Not allowing my mind to wander about his reaction, I gave a star-studded, overly practiced smile to Anthony in return. “Thank you so much. It’s a pleasure to meet you…Anthony.”

He blinked at the sound of his name, redness glossing over his cheeks before turning away. “Well, then,” he began with a new shyness to him. “Shall I lead you both to my office?” It wasn’t a question, I realized, as he stepped towards the direction of his office, passing a long hall of the ministry's portraits and several accomplishments and events during their time in Hawthorne Peaks, including a festive Easter egg hunt and potluck.

His office, walled off with tempered glass and a golden border along the entrance, had a sophisticated presence to it, dusted lightly with sports memorabilia, a college degree from Duke, and framed portraits of his family, friends, and church gatherings. Natural-toned cushioned chairs paralleled one another with a glass coffee table between them, us taking a place in the seats as Anthony unbuttoned the midsection of his tailored suit before he sat down.

The cheerful, welcoming attitude diminished on Anthony’s face, making way for a business-ready persona. “So, you wish to film a few scenes at the church, I hear.” Straight to the point. I noticed the corner of Director Cross’s mouth tug at the frankness, leaning forward.

“I do.”

“And are you aware of the…problematic nature your film has brought to Hawthorne? Bringing about old memories this town has had enough of?”

“I am very aware.” There was a bit of an obscure chuckle behind his words. “And I understand not wishing for the negativity of the film to interrupt the sanctity of St. Divine Ministries. But I can assure you, it’ll be quick, decisive scenes that will only take a day or two to film with only a few cast members; closed sets, of course.”

Anthony sat back in his chair, contemplating the idea of a day or two for a moment before speaking seriously. “My parents, the pastors here, are greatly against you and this film about the late Pastor Ezra Graham. There’s been a heated debate after the discovery of his actions here and your presence has reignited many ideas we’d like to keep at bay.”

Like a child feeling out of place, I studied the exchange halfheartedly while trying to stay as small and quiet as possible.

This seemed to pique Cross’ interest. “Such as...?”

Anthony stared at him, noting the enthusiasm in his voice. His dark eyes shot at me for a heavy moment as though to ask if Cross even noticed the hysteria in his voice before returning to Cross’ arched eyebrow. “For one, Ezra entirely. The mark he’s left on this place still resonates and there are a few people who still believe he was a blessing from God, doing God’s work, and shouldn’t be ostracized.” If he had any opinion about Ezra, he didn’t let it show. “While there are people, including family and friends of the victims, who feel as though justice hasn’t been granted for what he’s done and they don't want it being glorified in films such as yours.”

“Me specifically?”

Anthony straightened in his seat. “Despite coming from a dynasty of Hollywood elites, as I’ve heard, this film would be a sort of debut for you, for the first time disconnected from your father, Patrick Cross. Am I right?”

For the first time since they began speaking, I felt myself react with a silent gasp at Cross´ background. Yes, Dad prepped me beforehand about Director Cross’ nepotism, following his father’s illustrious proficiency in filmmaking, a legend in his own right after numerous award-winning movies. This would be the first film Cross would be creating on his own, without his father’s say, from what I’ve heard. This would be the first time stepping out of his father’s shadow, something I knew all too well.

He continued, this time with a youthful excitement in his voice. “Honestly, I consider myself a movie buff. From seeing his films and a few you’ve collaborated on with him, I’m curious what kind of film you’ll portray and what will become of it. However…” He paused, looking between the both of us. “...my parents are old fashioned and believe nothing good will come from this film about him.”

Cross nodded. “I understand. But may I ask, why did you’re parents, and yourself, end up here? Was it the notoriety because of Ezra?”

Returning to a somber state, Anthony straightened his suit, staring at the director. “Are you trying to insinuate we came here on Ezra’s infamy alone?” For the first time, it looked like Cross had pressed a button he wasn’t meant to press inside Anthony. His eyes darkened on Cross alone.

Before either of them could speak, a secretary knocked on the door, alerting us all to her presence as she entered with a tray of coffee in ‘All is Divine’ mugs. Ignoring the sudden weight of animosity in the room, she quietly placed the tray on the coffee table and walked out the door. Both men just stared at one another, a silent battle of their floating in the air between them. Instinctively, I fidgeted in the seat, a few seconds of silence passing by before, finally, Director Cross opened his mouth with a reply.

“Of course not. I just know that the church is a very important part of his story and with it, comes baggage for anyone who steps in here, even though he’s long gone.”

Anthony flinched at something in his words but quickly brushed it aside, standing from his seat. At first, we were both about to follow his lead until he gestured for us to continue to sit. “There is a heavy weight that comes with Ezra’s legacy but my parents knew the citizens of this town needed closure and peace after his crimes were revealed. And, we needed peace in our household, in our souls, after it was revealed my grandmother, my mother’s mother who attended this church, was one of his victims.”

He walked to his desk and picked up a portrait of an elderly lady holding a bouquet of roses with a sliver of a smile on her face. “Ramona Lennox.” He sat it down, this time keeping it facing us. “Apparently, she was guilty of being ‘too prideful’ in his eyes.” Anthony drew his eyes upon me and I tried not to visibly tremble under his gaze. “I heard you were also on his list, Daphne.”

Unable to hide the distress of it, I nodded with a slight shiver. I’d been listed as ‘envy’ on the list the police found in his office after everything came to light, also finding keepsakes from his victims in the basement. I’d been so close to dying in the hands of a killer and yet, my brain still refused to bask in the gravity of it all. Maybe I only remembered shards of him and the rest were ghost stories, in a way.

“So, is this film a way of finding closure?” he asked me directly, pacing towards his seat. He perched himself on the back of it with his hands, refusing to sit down, which just made him look more intimidating.

“Yes,” I admitted. And on Cross’ behalf, I added, “I need closure through this film, through being here. I don’t have that much memory about it but piece by piece, just being able to go to that house and walking through here and playing Lilah, I’m starting to remember things after all these years.”

For the first time, a tiny sliver of a smile reached his lips. “So I should be generous and convince my parents to let you film here, right?” I couldn’t tell by his tone if he was being condescending or in agreement. I said nothing as I stared at him. His lips pinched together, and with a slight nod, he crossed over to Director Cross. “I’ll speak with them about a day or two of filming. However, I must add that the church has to read over the scenes before filming to approve; this church doesn’t need any more bad press. And…” His eyes wandered towards me before his body followed, standing before me as I stood so it didn’t feel like he was towering completely over me. “...we would love for you, Daphne, to have tea with our Divine Ladies next Sunday. One of your co-stars has agreed to join us but there’s always enough room at Divine Ministries.”

Both Director Cross and I looked at each other in bafflement, the first time we heard about our co-star's outside affairs. It was reasonable that a few crew members came to church and had befriended the ministry already. A part of me wanted to ask who but didn’t want to pry.

So Director Cross pried for me. “Who, may I ask, will be joining?”

“Oh…” He had to search his brain for their name and I felt my stomach drop at the sound of her name I instinctive knew he’d say, “I think her name is…Rosemarie.”