{"id":8794,"date":"2024-01-31T22:02:47","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T05:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/?page_id=8794"},"modified":"2024-02-05T23:10:57","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T06:10:57","slug":"if-there-was-a-god-of-salvation-the-thing-you-need-would-not-evade-you-for-so-long","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/?page_id=8794","title":{"rendered":"If There Was a God of Salvation, the Thing You Need Would Not Evade You for So Long"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lydia Storm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elm Street is rife with elms. And beater cars. And garbage cans and listing gates. Adam is a ninja. He disappears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s a nerdy guy, a sweaty guy, a young guy in a short-sleeved white shirt, a black tie, black slacks, shiny black shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A salvation salesman going solo, his selling partner Ed having crawled into bed with the beautiful man who clerks at the convenience store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to take it so serious,\u201d Ed had said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam will never tattle on Ed to their supervisor. It\u2019s one of several rules that makes this life possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like being silent and invisible. Until he knocks on a door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam picks a house with dry grass and tall stalks of some spare weed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the way up the crooked steps, he trips and makes a noise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dog barks behind the blue door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bark seems pitch-shifted down. A sound so deep and low it vibrates the bones of his pelvis. A sound that makes this house fit for a ninja\u2019s courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam pauses to prepare for the game that makes doorbelling bearable. He picks an odd word and resolves to use it in his presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If he uses the word \u201ckohlrabi\u201d\u2014works it into his sales pitch about eternal salvation, righteousness, truth, virtue, and so on\u2014he can quit doorbelling for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The park will be quiet and shady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will be girls in T-shirts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone will be playing Frisbee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A soaring Frisbee removes the obligation to suffer for the second or three it manages to maintain its flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The door opens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A floppy-eared Great Dane the size of a Shetland pony. Bucking. Flews flapping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The smell of cannabis so strong it should have been visible as a billowing cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to tell you a story about kohlrabi,\u201d Adam says. He\u2019ll either get things going or get them over with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dog maneuvers its bulk half out of the door, positions itself against Adam\u2019s thigh, and leans, nearly pushing him over.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man is tall and slender and brown-eyed and has thick, wavy hair tucked behind his ears. Although he\u2019s a bit disheveled and bleary-eyed, he smiles and cocks his head as if he\u2019s willing to listen, then ushers Adam in. \u201cDid you see the meteors last night, dude? I hear they\u2019re even brighter in Colorado.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam balances his supply of brochures on top of the crop of beer bottles rising out of the coffee table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam shakes the man\u2019s hand, which is callused and dry and warm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man smiles again. A good sign. \u201cI\u2019m Jason. Want a beer? Or a Coke?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam\u2019s pretty thirsty, but he declines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason rubs his eyes and flops on the broken couch. \u201cWhat were you saying about Colorado? My girlfriend moved to Colorado. I\u2019ve never been.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything about Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh. I thought you were going to tell me a story about Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. Kohlrabi. I said kohlrabi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam pictures the park he has now earned several times over. T-shirts. Sprinkler rainbows. Spinning Frisbees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t kohlrabi a vegetable? Are you selling vegetables?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam shakes his head and answers reflexively. \u201cNo sir, I\u2019m bringing you the good news of salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh. Religion. That\u2019s cool, man, but I\u2019d rather hear about Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Colorado the sky is yellow,\u201d Adam says. Maybe the weed is affecting him. He feels giddy and sinks onto the couch next to Jason.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat right?\u201d Jason grins as if he\u2019s getting the joke. \u201cIn Wyoming the grass is purple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam pictures purple grass and yellow sky and begins to cry. He looks at his hands. His knuckles are bruised from punching a wall. His fingernails are bit to the quick. How did he get here? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason pats his shoulder. Hands him a beer and a tissue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam wipes away his snot and tears, then gulps at the beer like a hungry baby. It tastes bad and somehow good. Warmth fills his stomach. He imagines he\u2019s a beer-drinking dad. Someone with a wife and a house full of kids. Do invisible people have kids?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy are you sad?\u201d Jason says. \u201cLife?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calmer now, Adam shakes his head. \u201cI believe my brain\u2019s default mode network happens to bend light in a way that turns me invisible. It\u2019s just physics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason narrows his eyes. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam stays quiet long enough to turn invisible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhoa,\u201d Jason says. \u201cThat\u2019s amaze-balls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam laughs. He\u2019s not invisible when he laughs, but he can\u2019t stop. Amaze-balls? Now that\u2019s a funny expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason says, \u201cDo it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After several attempts, Adam manages to stop laughing. He\u2019s invisible again. Jason reaches for his hand. Finds it by touch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Jason\u2019s warm hand in his, Adam sees how distressed he\u2019s been, how starved he\u2019s been for simple human touch. He grasps Jason\u2019s hand while the dog barks its tuba bark, then gives a squeeze of thanks and lets go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you like being invisible?\u201d Jason asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Adam says. \u201cI thought I didn\u2019t have a choice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you talk, I can see you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep talking, man. Or don\u2019t. Whatever works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever works. Whatever works. Adam leans back, rests. The tuba plays and the Frisbee rises and flies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

LYDIA STORM<\/strong>\u00a0lives in Seattle where she writes stories, takes walks, listens to millions of audiobooks, and takes care of a small cockapoo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lydia Storm Elm Street is rife with elms. And beater cars. And garbage cans and listing gates. Adam is a ninja. He disappears.  He\u2019s a nerdy guy, a sweaty guy, a young guy in a short-sleeved white shirt, a black … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":8792,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8794","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P15duy-2hQ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8794"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8822,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8794\/revisions\/8822"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jerseydevilpress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}