Page 32 of Damian & Jun, Episodes 13-16

“Tell Émeric to come out in a minute,” he told Collin. “I may need backup.”

Collin’s eyes sharpened, and he nodded. Damian headed around the tent. Sure enough, Doyle was standing on the sidewalk, a big winter coat hanging open off his shoulders and a beanie on his head.

Doyle didn’t even wait for Damian to fully reach him before he started talking, staring up at the rose window on the church front facade. “You’re desecrating God’s space.”

Damian stared at the man. Desecrating. Of all the words to use. Desecration had been done, but that’s not what was happening now. There were so many things he could say. Why not say them? If the man wanted to know what Damian’s problem with him was, why not just lay it out? “Did you know what my father did to my mother? That she was also my sister?”

Pastor Doyle stilled, looking at Damian. “What’s this lie?”

Damian shook his head, starting to walk away. “Not a lie.”

“Kramer was a family man. He’d never…”

Damian stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I want to believe that you believe that. I wish you hadn’t been so trusting. You had a responsibility, you know. Do you know why I won’t call you Pastor?”

Doyle glared.

Damian wasn’t done. “When you stood at the front of that sanctuary, you preached about Christ, you said you spoke for God, that we were his flock and he was our shepherd, that you and those like you were shepherds. I was one of your sheep. I was a child. You were okay with what he did. He hit an infant so hard she and her high chair hit the ground and you stood up and testified for him against me because I protected her. That’s why I won’t call you pastor. You weren’t a shepherd. When the bear came, you protected the bear.”

Doyle opened and closed his mouth.

Damian shook his head and turned away.

“Wait.”

Damian looked back over his shoulder.

“So that’s it. You’re just taking over, kicking an old man out?”

Damian tilted his head, looked away, looked back. He wasn’t going to shy away from what he was doing, wasn’t going to pretend. “I’m not giving you back the church.”

“Not even a piece of it?”

Damian shook his head. “We fundamentally disagree, and not in ways where we can agree to disagree.”

“So I guess you are kicking an old man out.”

“I’m being a shepherd.”

Damian walked away. Émeric was waiting, watching from a dozen strides back.

He put an arm around Damian as he approached. The weight felt good.

So many times he’d imagined yelling the truth at Doyle. And he hadn’t, because he’d known just how empty he’d feel. Like he did now.

No amount of truth changed what was done.

He leaned into Émeric.

Jun

Jun faced Mi Hi across the kitchen table at the Parsonage. Around them, the rest of 5N leaned in. Jun sat sideways on his chair so that the sleeping Habibi on his back wouldn’t be disturbed. Armada was napping in her room, something she needed after Habibi’s teething had kept her up all night.

“This is it.” Mi Hi had two pink spots on her cheeks. “We hit this button and it’s official: date, time, party, it all goes out, your first official, independent comeback.”

“Argh! I can’t take it.” Su-jin pressed a hand against his chest.

Yohei grabbed him and dragged him close.