The Second Doublewide on the Right, part 37

I’m Fixin’ To Present Part 37 of The Second Doublewide on the Right:

After Reverend Ricky Lee Jones and Jimmy Ray Hurd had stacked the materials for the new roof behind the reverend’s church, he had paid Jimmy Ray off with hundred dollar bills—five of them.

There was no receipt, and the reverend didn’t ask any questions because he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. However, he did feel that he should add some sore of legitimacy to the transaction, so he asked Jimmy Ray how he had managed to get such a good deal for him.

“It was this place that had gone out of business and I knew you needed a new roof so I just liquidated them,” Jimmy Ray had told him.

“I really appreciate the things you’ve done for the church, Jimmy Ray, but the trouble is that I have to hire a roofing contractor to put the roof on, and I’m not sure I know how to do that, or how to get the best deal.”

Jimmy Ray had thought about what the reverend had said for a few moments before he offered up his suggestion.

“I can get you a crew of Mexicans to come out here and do it. They work hard and fast, and they don’t ask no questions, plus they like to get paid in cash with no paperwork.”

So when the reverend pulled up to the church after he had left Marthalene’s beauty shop in Apt-To-Miss, there was a hoard of little brown people scurrying up and down ladders, toting bales of roofing shingles while the sound of nail guns filled the air.

Reverend Ricky Lee was delighted with the progress the workers had made. They had already cleared up and hauled away the scraps of the old roof. The felt had gone on and now they were laying the shingles and it looked like they were going to be able to finish tomorrow. He thought how nice the church would look with its new roof for this Sunday morning’s service.

He was amazed at the efforts and steadfastness of the workers. They didn’t quit at any appointed time, they just worked until it got so dark they couldn’t see how to anymore.

That night Ricky Lee sat in his little apartment in the attic of the church and stared at the business card Marthalene had given him. Three times he picked up his cell phone, but each time he put it back down and told himself to wait, to wait until tomorrow. Then he would call her and re-invite her to the next morning’s service. If she came it would be a sign, if she didn’t, then he would just have to go get another haircut real soon.

The workers were already banging around on the roof when he woke up the next morning. At noon they took a short break and gathered around their coolers for a quick lunch. By three o’clock El Jefe was giving last minute instructions to his crew. The roof was magnificently adorned in newness while the crew cleaned up all the little remaining scraps of materials.

These scraps included plastic bands which had held the bundles of shingles together. On these plastic bands was a tiny stamp identifying the lumber company which the manufacturer had originally shipped the shingles to.

While the workers were gathering up the plastic bands and looking for stray roofing nails, a gust of wind took one of the bands and blew it out toward the highway. Shortly, another gust blew it into the middle of the road. Then a car came by and the blast of air from it blew the band to the other side of the road and into the ditch where it landed in some tall grass and stuck there.

All the roofers had gone and in the waning light of the day Ricky Lee stood outside of the church and admired his new roof. It seemed to make the old building come alive. He noticed that the occasional passing vehicle seemed to slow down and also admire it.

As darkness descended he used the side door to enter the building. He had partitioned off the right corner of the sanctuary so that the stairs leading up to his apartment in the attic were hidden from the view of anyone in the church.

He had spent a lot of time attempting to think of some secret way to mask the stairs, but thinking of none better, he had erected the partition so that it appeared as if it was the door to a closet or cloak room. Now he could exit or enter his living quarters going through the church or from the outside, and he kept the keys to both doors on his key ring.

Reverend Ricky Lee was thinking how blessed he was as he climbed the stairs up to his apartment. Just before he arrived at the top he remembered an ancient saying, “As we sin so shall we suffer.”

He didn’t remember where the saying had originated, but it disturbed him that it had crossed his mind, so that when he reached the top of the stairs he dropped to his knees and knew he was fixin’ to pray for his safety and salvation.