28. Micah
MICAH
From the moment I saw her in the second I saw her in the sanctuary my heart hasn’t stopped pounding. What on earth was she doing here?
I was so mad when the security guard touched her, and even more mad when my dickhead brother brought us in here. But now that I’m here with my hands on her, looking in her eyes, I can’t help but have a little hope, and then she tells me why she is here.
“I can’t let you take the fall for me.”
“It’s already done, Robin. It’s water under the bridge. And it’s the only way it could have worked out.”
“No. I refuse to accept that,” she said scrunching up her brow and batting my hands off her shoulders.
“Robin, if my father knew it was someone not family fucking with his money, pardon my language, Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood,” I said instinctively.
“No, go right ahead young man,” said her mom.
I turned back to Robin. “He would have pressed charges. When I told him it was me, I think he almost liked it. Now I’m back here every Sunday and playing in the church band. He got what he wanted.”
“But did you get what you want?” Robin said to me with her eyes full of an emotion I couldn’t quite read.
“What do you mean?”
She starts pacing. “I can’t let you do that.
I was the one who did it. I was the one who caused the police to come to my parent’s door and now for you to do whatever this is,” she said, gesturing to the stupid opulence of my father’s office.
“I mean what even in this?” she asked and she picked up what appeared to be a Fabergé egg with the scene of the crucifixion on it.
“I’d put that down if I were you. I think it cost something stupid like half a million dollars.”
Her mother gasped behind her.
“Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood, it is lovely to meet you. I wish it was under different circumstances,” I said.
Her father gave me a nod. “It’s nice to meet you too, young man. I must say, Thanksgiving is making much more sense the more I learn.”
“I apologize for that and all the trouble I’ve caused your family.”
Robin stamped her foot, “Micah! You will not take the fall for me.”
I can’t help the smile that tugs at my mouth at the sight of her. The pull to be near her with her this close was too hard to resist. Before I know it, I’m at her side again cupping her face.
“Robin. This is how it needs to be.”
The sound of Silent Night filters in over the speaker.
“Do you hear that? The service is almost over. My father will be in here and we need to figure out what to tell him about why we were interrupting the service.”
“I’m telling him I was doing it because you are taking the fall for me. I'm going to tell him that I was the one who made the illegal transfer, not you. I don’t want you beholden to them.”
The singing on the speaker stopped and hushed voices came through it. It was done. The congregation was starting to filter out. We only had a few minutes left.
“Robin. Please! He will press charges. I can’t let that happen, you have to let me do this.”
“Oh, I have to let you do this? I just have to let them think it was you and so they can demand obedience from you?”
“Yes. Robin, listen to me. There are certain things my dad does not fuck around about. Money is at the top of the list. Hell, money might be the whole list. Please, don’t do this.”
I was about three seconds away from dropping to my knees and begging her.
“Honey, maybe you should listen to him,” her mother said carefully.
Then the door burst open and in walked my father, followed by my older brother.
“What in the name of all things holy is going on here? You simply don’t interrupt a man’s Christmas Eve service.
There had better be a good explanation. Do you know how many new guests we have tonight?
Do you have any idea how many of those people could be members?
Do you know how big that is for us? What in God’s name were you thinking? ”
Everyone in the room froze. My dad’s gaze flitted from face to face, but no one dared speak.
That was until Robin cleared her throat. “There has been a mistake.”
She was trying to be strong. Only I could hear the small waiver in her voice betraying her nerves.
“Is that so?” My father turned to her like a tiger circling his prey.
I had to give it to him; he really was a terrifying man when he wanted to be. Even I was scared to speak for a moment. Then I heard a voice I was not expecting.
“Pastor Nottingham,” her father said with a casual confidence I would not have expected this extremely average looking man to have.
My father turned his gaze to Mr. Sherwood looking slightly less predatory.
“It would appear our children are trying to protect each other, but really I am the one who did it.”
Every head in the office turns to him.
“Did what? What exactly is going on here?”
“When Pastor Young was here, he did unspeakable things to families. He told families to turn out their own children. Can you believe that?”
My dad sputtered for a moment, clearly thrown. “I do not share the same beliefs. I believe all are welcome.”
More like all of their money is welcome, but that was neither here nor there.
“But what does that have to do with anything?” my father asked.
“When I was helping with your accounting, I allocated a small bit of money every month for the shelter that took in my daughter’s first girlfriend after her family kicked her out at the urging of Pastor Young.”
This had my father’s attention.
“Dad–-” Robin began to protest.
“Now sweetheart, let me handle this.”
“You had no right. None at all. What you did was stealing.”
I could sense my father’s blood pressure rising, he wasn’t sure what to do.
“Maybe, but I did notice the large amount of money that is still going to Pastor Young in his retirement. It would appear the church is not as far removed from that devil as you would have others believe.”
I swear I could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.
“You had no right to do that. How dare you steal from the church.”
And I swear, Mr. Sherwood smirked. Who would have thought a short balding man in a sweater vest is where Robin got all her courage from.
“I wouldn’t call it stealing, more like course correcting.
Do you not think a shelter that only exists because of the old pastor of this church doesn’t deserve a little extra money?
I mean look around, the church isn’t exactly hurting for it.
Hell, I mean this thing,” he said walking over the bizarre Fabergé egg.
“Is worth, what, half a million? Surely you can help out those with less than you.”
My father’ face was bright red, he was lost in his anger. “It is my money! I decide what to do with it! Me! Not you! I am this church!”
“Oh well isn’t that interesting. I thought this was a house of God, not Mr. big pants Nottingham.
Say hello to your congregants.” Mrs. Sherwood smirked at him holding up her phone.
“And to think of all the wasted energy I spent trying to convince my daughter you were different. You may not be a bigot Dan, but you are still a bad man.”
I looked at her with sheer amazement. This really was a Christmas Miracle!
“Turn that off.”
And she did. My dad looked between them.
“You do what is right by our kids and by Lantern House, and no one sees this.” She tapped her phone a few times. “I just texted it to everyone in this room. There are too many copies to destroy. Take any of us down and you go down with us.”
“Oh my god,” Robin said slack jawed looking between her parents.
Mr. Sherwood gave his wife a well-deserved high five. “The choice is yours. You press charges against me, and I will make the biggest stink you’ve ever known. Or let this go, keep donating to Lantern House, and we forget this whole ugly incident ever happened.”
“Fine,” he said. He collapsed in his chair. “Get out of my sight.”
The Sherwoods turned to leave, and I went to follow them.
“Not you, Micah.”
They all turned around.
“What do you need?” I asked.
“I think we have more to talk about.”
I was not going to do this. Not after that. “No. We don’t. I’m leaving.”
“Just like that you’re walking away from your family.”
“We’ve been over this. You know my feelings. You leverage it gone… so yeah, I’m leaving.” I turned as he continued to protest.
Then I felt Robin’s hand take mine as we walked out of that office. I clung to her like a lifeline. We quickly but quietly made our way through the decorated hallways until we came to the foyer. Robin’s hand finally pulled out of mine, and she turned to her dad.
“I can’t believe you did that!”
“What? This fellow isn’t the only man who would do anything for you, darling.”
Robin ran into her father’s arms, with her mom joining not far behind. Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks at the sight. This is what family love is supposed to be like, parents willing to do what it takes to be there for their daughter. Even if it was a little light crime and blackmail.
When they finally pulled away, he came over to me and shook my hand. “Micah, I would like to introduce myself. I’m Dave Sherwood.”
“It’s nice to meet you sir. You have an amazing daughter.”
“Don’t I know it.” He beamed at Robin who seemed unsure of how to handle this much attention.
“Honey, why don’t you let Micah take you home. We can figure out what to do with your car tomorrow,” Mrs. Sherwood said to Robin.
Her mom squeezed her face and kissed her cheek. “See you tomorrow sweetheart, and Merry Christmas to you both.”
And just like that they turned and left leaving us standing alone in the entryway.
“Wow, so those are your parents? They seem pretty cool.”
“Yeah,” Robin huffed out in amusement. “Who knew?”
She turned to me, her eyes full of emotion. “Micah, can we talk?”
“I would love nothing more. Can we do it in my car though? I really want to get away from this place.”
She took my hand and let out a breath. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”