After taking a sip of water, in a broken voice she asked if I could help with a sensitive family matter. “Do you remember Pastor Arne? He’s your father’s cousin from Duluth. Well, he called last night. It seems he’s going through some rough patches these days. It was strange to hear a clergyman confess marital problems. He asked if he could come down to stay with us for a few days. He needs a place to meditate and sort things out in his life.” Pastor Arne’s troubles caught me completely off guard. With some degree of difficulty, I tried to contain my enthusiasm that my mother did not know about Michelle’s pregnancy. As appetite suddenly revived, my mother noticed my excitement. “Young man, it’s a sin to delight in the misery of others,” she scolded me.
“Pastor Arne, huh?” I asked. “Now, t
