Page 8 of Sinned

I looked out the window at the hills and mountains in the distance. As we drove the terrain changed. The city and tall buildings vanished as the trees took over. Slowly the trees thinned out and we were surrounded by desert.

“There’s a lot of good people out here, but they need help,” he said. “It’s so far from civilization, there just aren’t the simple things you and I take for granted. I’m trying to help these people as much as I can so they can make better lives for themselves and their children. But there’s a large population who live further into the mountains where the only means of transportation is by horseback. I’ll get out there one day.”

“As long as I’m here you have another person to help. How many people are in the village?”

“Well this is different than the other villages we’ve helped with. Amaru will be more of a centralized location for the other villages where they will have access to some of the things they can only get in the city. We rebuilt the church hoping that would incentivize them to drive into Amaru. Right now there’s not a lot there.”

“That explains why it’s been so hard for the Church to find someone to lead this church.”

“It is,” he said with a nod. “I won’t lie to you, Amaru is in the middle of nowhere. I’ve had a hard time getting people to come out now because it’s the rainy season. There’s a lot of bad storms this time of year and there’s been times it’s knocked out the power grid. This has been one of the worst springs in years.”

“If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not going to happen. I know I’m only here for a few months, but I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Thank you,” he said. “I know you don’t have to do that. I know you have enough to do with starting the church. I really appreciate any help I can get.”

The sun was setting as we arrived in Amaru. While I was expecting a village with dirt roads, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a small town. Amaru had once been a stop for travelers ready to explore the mountains and hillsides of the region, but as roads improved the town was forgotten.

The cobblestone street jerked the car side to side. There was only one road through the town and it ended at the church. The plaster buildings were worn, but well kept. A few of the buildings had been freshly painted bright colors like pink and teal, while others were white. No one was out and most of the windows were dusted with dirt.

Ramon stopped the car in front of a white plastered building. In the center was a rusted gate under a brick archway. The building looked like it had been renovated recently, but was still in poor condition.

I followed him through the squeaky gate into a small courtyard. Several flowering trees and a dry fountain held glimpses of the oasis it once was.

“This was a hotel in the 1920’s,” Ramon said. “We made some minor renovations to it so that it could house our group.”

We walked up a wooden staircase, then along the balcony to a door. Ramon pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to me.

“The doors here don’t really lock, but here’s the key. Let me know if you need anything, Father,” he said.

I nodded and unlocked the door as he left. The room was small, but clean with a bed in the center and a dresser with a large mirror against the wall. With the sun almost set, I clicked the light switch but nothing happened.

As I stepped out the door to see if I could catch Ramon, I noticed lights on in another room not far from mine. I knocked and heard a muffled voice inside respond. Since I couldn’t hear well enough, I knocked on the door again.

“Come in.”

I thought about what Ramon said about the doors not locking and twisted the knob. As I stepped inside the room, my vision was pulled to the far wall where a naked woman was drying her long, dark hair with a towel. The dim light caressed her body, teasing my senses with her perky breasts and the curve of her waist and hips. As much as I wanted to look away, I couldn’t.

“Goddamn it,” she yelled. “What the fuck? Get out of my room.” She threw a rectangular packet of pills at me and then wrapped the towel around herself, knotting it above her bosom as she charged towards me. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

She shoved me hard, but I didn’t move. I was more shocked by her language than this short woman pushing against my chest with her hands.

“I’m Charles McArthur,” I said.

“Oh? And does being Charles McArthur mean you get to just barge into women’s rooms?”

“You said to come in.”

“I said don’t come in.”

“I didn’t hear the don’t,” I said.

“Maybe you didn’t want to,” she said, her brown eyes flashing angrily.

“I’m sorry. I just arrived today and my room doesn’t seem to have electricity.”

She stopped assaulting my chest, took a step back, and her eyes traveled up and down my body.

“You’re the priest? You don’t look like a priest.” She raised an eyebrow at me and rubbed my chest where she had been pushing. “And you definitely don’t feel like a priest.”

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