Thirty-One
“TOM, THIS IS PROBABLY the worst idea you’ve had since telling Miriam she could have live animals at the Nativity.”
I look at Helen as I strain to get my shoes on. “Well,” I smile ruefully, “at least there won’t be an alpaca trying to kill me.”
“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that,” Helen says. Her arms are crossed and there’s a mix of concern and irritation on her face. “I know I’m hardly the theological expert you are, but I don’t remember ever seeing an alpaca in the Nativity scene at my Grandma’s house.”
“There probably wasn’t, since there were no alpacas in Bethlehem or anywhere else in the Near East. But Miriam insisted, since the animal people offered it.”
“But why an alpaca?”
I shrug, remembering instantly why that’s still not a really good idea. “Simple.
