Page 78 of Bartholomew
I took my own advice, inhaling a deep breath filled with Delilah’s sweet scent, then exhaling out all the pent-up emotions I had been keeping in for the past hour. Then, I kissed her soundly, needing to feel her soft curves under me and knowing I had no time to indulge the way I wanted to.
“Deep breaths,” she reiterated, almost like a mantra to herself.
With a squeeze of her hands, we exited the bedroom and back into the belly of the beast.
“Bartholomew, there you are!” my father’s voice rang from the end of the hallway. Fuck.
“Father,” I answered, my hand gently steering Delilah past my father and towards her own family.
“Let’s have a drink, Son. We need to discuss your calling from the Lord.” It wasn’t a suggestion. We made our way down the hall towards my study. Funny how my “calling” from the Lord was given to the Elders and not to me. How peculiar, the way that worked. I steeled my expression. The absurdity of it all already getting to me.
I poured my father two fingers of whiskey. I would have downed half the bottle for myself, but I needed to keep my wits about me, especially around the Elders.
“The Lord has spoken, Son, and He has called you to begin your path to becoming a figure in this community; an Elder. It’s a path we all strive for here in Zion and one that you should feel honored to be called forth to.” His pompous attitude made me want to retch. It was so fucking fake.
“I feel honored and blessed to be called by the Lord,” I recited the platitudes I knew he wanted to hear.
“Now, Bartholomew, becoming an Elder is a thing of greatness. It is a title to strive for, as a Follower of Zion. With it comes great responsibility.” My father’s words held a tone of chastisement. I hadn’t said a fucking word, and already the man was on me like static on a sweater.
“Father, Bartholomew,” Levi’s voice called from the study doorway.
“Leviticus! Son, I did not realize you would be here today,” Father said with a smile. Levi, ever the perfect chosen son in our Father’s eyes. It was nothing he had done, granted, just an esteem that Father held him in. Still, it annoyed me.
“As an Elder-to-be, I considered it my duty to step up, and what better time than now? Father, if you would, I would like to step in on this conversation. As Bartholomew’s eldest brother, I feel it is my place to help him along in his transition into Elderhood. Would you give us a moment, please?” Levi’s words held that weight, that tightly reined power just like Father’s.
“I don’t see why I can’t sit in on such a conversation, Son,” Father argued, but Levi boy-scouted his way through it. And by that, I meant he had come prepared.
“Father, while I respect your position both in the church and as head of our family, I am the eldest Temple son. It is my duty and responsibility to become the head of this household someday. You have done well, leading me by example on how to shoulder that burden and be the strength of the Temple legacy. I would ask that you allow me to step into that position, at least where it comes to my brothers. As the eldest, it is only my duty. And as Bartholomew’s only married brother, there are things we must discuss.” Levi leveled Father with a look. For a brief moment, I was honestly unsure whether this was the best idea ever, or a dumpster fire waiting to happen.
The seconds ticked by until Father’s face broke out in a wide grin. Clapping his hands together, he said, “Well done, Leviticus. This is a fine, fine example of true leadership. I could not be prouder, Son. Bartholomew, you will heed your brother’s advice as you step into your own leadership.”
With a clap of his hand on Levi’s back, Father left the room, shutting the door behind him. We both released a heavy breath, and I took a long, slow sip of my drink.
“Careful with the drink. You’ll want to keep your wits about you with this group,” Levi warned, plopping down in one of my office chairs.
“The drink is keeping me from punching half of the people currently taking up precious space and wasting precious oxygen in my home,” I pushed out through gritted teeth. The entire situation had me on edge. “I just don’t get it. Why now? Why cut the honeymoon short? Why push me into becoming an Elder now? Why not wait the extra week? I don’t get it.”
The questions ran off of my tongue in quick succession, each one filling me with more confusion and more frustration. The annoyance churned in my stomach, turning slowly into anger as my ire rose.
“I don’t honestly know. But there is a tension rising among the Elders. Nothing has been said to me, mind you. But for whatever reason, Father and Reverend Jacob cannot stop talking about us brothers becoming Elders — and quickly,” Levi explained darkly. As I looked at my brother, there was a tiredness about him he rarely displayed.
“You ok, bro?” I asked, pouring him his own glass.
“Yeah, man. I’m okay. I just hate not knowing what’s going on,” he sighed heavily, taking a long swig of the whiskey.
“Poor Levi doesn’t like not being in control? Poor big bad Dommy-Dom,” I teased, needing to cut the tension with a bit of humor.
“You’re a dick,” he scoffed.
“Correction — I have a dick. Quite a nice one, actually. At least I’m quite fond of it. As is my wife.”
“Must you be so vulgar with a house full of Elders and your in-laws?” Levi groaned. “Seriously, Ollie. Anyone could overhear you,” he whispered with no small amount of accusation.
“Honestly, half of me wants them to hear. Half of me wants to shout everything to the rooftops and let this whole fucker go up in smoke,” I sneered derisively.
“Yeah, but you won’t. We have a plan. Just stick to it. And now that Delilah knows, you’ll both need to keep your heads about you, especially in town. I can’t explain it, but a lot of eyes seem to be on us, brother.”
We both sat in silence for a moment, our thoughts reeling over the stress that we had burdened ourselves with. The ends justified the means, to be sure, but fuck the holy donkey, I wanted out. Malachi’s resistance and stubborn attitude were making more and more sense to me.
