Life In The Palace (22 page)

I did. We stopped in one of the many fancy cafés in the neighborhood. The food cost an arm and a leg, and like usual Seth wouldn’t let me pay. We sat there for a long time after we’d finished eating, sipping hot chocolate and commenting on the passersby.

“What’s the deal for tomorrow? Are we all going to Chapel together?” I asked peering over my mug.

“Susie would rather do extra algebra homework. I think Dad might feel the same, but he’ll come along to keep up appearances. Mom goes most weeks.”

“Will you tell me what to do? I’ve never gone to Services before.”

Seth rubbed his knee against mine. “Of course I will. But it’s pretty easy to follow, it’s all in English and they tell you when to turn the page. There’s not that much of the official praying stuff. The Guide speaks and we all sing a bit, they put the words up on a Powerpoint so that’s easy. When it’s all done there’s food and the usual mingling, making nice to the elderly ladies.”

I nodded, “I think I can manage it.”

“I have no doubt, but we should head home now. We’ll be in trouble if we’re late. I imagine you plan on changing clothes or something.”

Chapter 17

“
I
have to let
you know I nearly spat pea soup across the room last night,” Susie said as we pulled out of the driveway.

“Why?” Seth asked as I turned around to look at her.

“When Mom asked Chloe all casually if any of her ancestors were from the People.” She chuckled at the memory. “She is so desperate for you guys to get married.”

I saw Seth shoot her an evil look in the rearview mirror. It’s one thing to plan ourselves to get married; it’s a bit different when it’s his Mom doing it.

“We’ve only been together for four months,” Seth said curtly.

“Yeah, tell that to Mom though. Don’t feel bad Chloe, it’s a compliment. At least she likes you. Ed’s one of the People and Mom gets that sucked-on-a-lemon look on her face every time he comes over.”

I gathered that “at Ed’s house” is where Susie was the night we arrived.

“Why doesn’t she like him?” I asked.

“He’s got a nose ring.”

I thought for a minute of all the interesting get-ups Spike, Jared and I had worn in my parent’s presence. In comparison, my parents were remarkably liberal.

“What’s so bad about a nose ring?” I asked genuinely curious.

“She also suspects he might smoke pot,” Susie added.

I looked at Seth, his face was totally still.

“Was he in jail?” I asked.

“No, his Dad’s an accountant and his Mom sells real estate. He’s in my AP biology class. He’s applying for early acceptance to Yale.”

I turned around in my seat so I could see Susie and Seth simultaneously. “Will someone explain what the problem is? Does the guy have two heads that no one’s mentioning?”

Seth laughed, “He doesn’t fit the executive picture of the world. He might cause Susie to go over to the dark side.”

“Why am I marriage material?”

Susie caught Seth’s eye in the rearview mirror and laughed.

Seth said nothing.

“Because Mom had decided that Seth must be gay. He’s good looking, he’s eligible, but he hasn’t had a girlfriend for almost two years. Josh said he wasn’t even casually hooking up with anyone, so Mom decides he’s gay. Then she’s stuck because she’s supposed to be a liberal Democrat who supports gay rights. Inside she’s freaking out because she doesn’t mind if someone else’s son is gay as long as hers stays on the straight and narrow. Then out of the blue Sethy-boy over here announces he’s bringing his girlfriend over for the weekend and Josh says you moved your toothbrush into their place. Mom’s so happy she could care less that you’re an Other. If you want to make the Quest, even better.”

I tried to suppress a smile, “Your Mom thought you were gay? You didn’t tell me.”

Seth kept his eyes on the road, “It never came up in conversation.”

Susie snorted in the back.

“Why are you even here?” Seth asked her. “I thought you hated Chapel.”

“I do,” she said cheerfully. “But I thought it would be fun to come and watch, plus I could do with a few extra Mom Brownie points. Ed wants to take me to his parent’s ski lodge for the weekend.”

“Good luck with that,” Seth laughed.

“Sometimes it sucks being the girl. You guys get away with so much more.”

“That’s why you don’t. Now they know what guys are like, they’re not going to let their own daughter be treated like that.”

“Are we playing Chapel bingo?” Susie asked suddenly.

“Obviously,” Seth scoffed, “I still owe you for last Day of Accounting.”

“Bingo?” I waited to be enlightened.

“While we are happy to embrace our heritage, something has to help pass the time,” Susie explained, “So we play Chapel bingo. Although strictly speaking these days it’s not bingo, not since Josh got caught with the game board on the Day of Return a couple of years ago. Now you just get points in different categories.”

I nodded, “Who decides the categories?”

“We do, right now, although there are certain perennial classics.”

“Number of times your called by the wrong name, double points if it’s a name that isn’t one of your siblings; number of times you’re asked what college you plan to attend, etc” Seth explained.

“But you graduated?” I asked.

Seth smiled, “That doesn’t stop them asking. Other favorites are number of times you’re kissed by a member of the opposite sex that’s old enough to be your grandparent.”

“Extra points if they try to cop a feel while they’re at it,” Susie chimed in. “I think for today we can add number of times Chloe’s asked when the wedding will be. And number of times someone tries to work out if they’re distantly related to her.”

“That’s not fair,” Seth turned around to look at her while the light was red, “She’s going to win hands down.”

“No, because you can have number of times you’re congratulated on your forthcoming nuptials, and I can have number of times I’m wished ‘soon to be me’.”

Seth nodded, “Fair enough, that evens out the playing field.”

“I can see you guys take the religious experience very seriously,” I said as Seth pulled in to a parking lot. The building was a squat red brick modern building with concrete accents that was probably built in the Eighties but channeling Sixties architectural practices.

“God knows we try,” Susie laughed as she got out of the car.

The entrance to the Chapel reminded me of my doctor’s practice back home. People were milling around in this area the same way people are reluctant to take their seats too early for a theater show. Mrs. Wilks made a beeline for us as soon as we entered.

“Did you stop for a smoke on the way?” She asked Seth, “I wanted you to both meet Mrs. Warren.” Seth said nothing. He tried to pretend he didn’t smoke around his mother, apparently unsuccessfully.

“They already sounded the bell, we’d better go in. Just don’t go rushing off afterwards,” she warned as we walked into the main hall.

The double doors that led inside were covered by a series of curtains. Seth held them out of the way for the rest of us to go through.

A man wearing a red velvet tunic greeted us on the other side, “Welcome to the Palace.”

I looked around. On a dais was a large wooden chair painted gold with intricate carving on the legs and back. Around it was a row of similar wooden chairs, but these were stained brown with dark green studded cushions and less carving. In semi-circles around them were rows of high-backed pine benches.

The room was filling up and Mrs. Wilks was busy waving and smiling. There was a book on every seat, Seth took mine and flicked it open. He handed it back to me at the right place.

“How long does this last?” I asked in a low voice.

“About an hour.”

“What’s going to happen?”

Seth pointed to the big chair. “That’s the Throne. No one sits there, it’s reserved for He Who Is. The rest of the big chairs are for the Guide, the President of the Chapel and other VIP’s.” He made air quotes at VIP’s. “They’ll be coming in a minute.”

An electric organ began to play and the chatter stopped. I peered around Susie’s head to see a middle-aged woman playing the organ accompanied by an older man on the guitar. A robust lady, who was dressed to look about forty, except for her face which suggested that she was at least a decade younger, stood on the dais and started to sing in a high soprano. I recognized the words of the song from the session with Tal at the old age home, but the tune was new to me. I readied myself for the room to move.

Doors opened to the right of the halls and in walked a procession. In the front was a woman in multi colored robes with a hood thrown over her mane of wavy red hair. Behind her came a man in a suit, wearing a purple cape with gold trim over his shoulders. After him came a series of three men and four women each wearing a dark green tunic over their clothes.

“That’s the Guide,” Seth whispered and pointed to the robed woman.

We all stood and recited a prayer from the books thanking for our lives. I tried shifting my mind so I could see what was really going on, but I came up with nothing.

“Welcome to the Palace,” the Guide said as we sat again. Next to me Susie was sending a text message. Seth’s eyes were unfocused. I wondered what he was thinking about. The Guide started a long sermon about fulfilling our social responsibilities and the importance of responsible use of natural resources.

“Where’s the Palace?” I whispered to Seth.

He furrowed his brow. “Here, we came through the Veil and here we are, there’s the Throne over there.”

Now it was my turn to look confused. Tal taught me that the Veil was the mental resistance to experiencing a reality other than the physical and that you pass it every time you slide your mind. She also said that you only see the Throne when you reach the Throne Room after death and that the whole Palace with all of its intricacies is a construct to help us fathom the greatness of He Who Sees All. She never said anything about post-modern architecture or fancy carpentry.

When the sermon was finally over, we stood to sing another song. The soprano was joined by a gaggle of little girls and most of the audience clapped along. I looked around the room. Now that I was used to my surroundings I could see the fuzzy outline around a few of the congregation that Tal called the “Palace face.” But most of them looked like their regular selves. There was another communal prayer, two more songs and then it was all over. I followed Seth and his mother through some doors to the front of the hall and into another hall larger than the first where rows of tables were laid with a sumptuous buffet.

“And now it begins.” Seth whispered as he took hold of my hand.

“Make sure you keep count,” Susie smirked as she whisked past us.

The next hour was a whirl of smiling, nodding and making nice. By the time we left my head was spinning.

“I think I lost count at ten ‘When is the wedding?’ and fifteen ‘Are we related?’ ” I said as I sank into the front seat.

“I got twelve ‘soon to be you,’ five kisses, one Samantha, and one Lucinda.”

Seth snorted, “Lucinda’s pretty good, was it Mrs. Ader? Because she’s got Alzheimer’s so it doesn’t really count.”

“No against all the odds Mrs. Ader got my name right. What did you get Seth?”

“Three Joshes, fourteen kisses, five ‘When’s the big day?’ and two ‘What college?’ ”

Seth pulled out of the parking lot. Susie leaned through from the back street and patted his side pocket. “Got any smokes, bro? I need to recover before we do the family lunch marathon.”

Seth knocked open the glove compartment with one hand and tossed her a pack. “But don’t light up now. I’ll stop at the park.”

“Why?” Susie scoffed.

“Chloe doesn’t like the smoke.”

Susie looked from me to him and back again. “Hot damn, my brother is in love. I’d better start looking at bridesmaid’s dresses.”

I laughed.

“Who says you’re invited?” Seth mumbled under his breath.

Lunch really wasn’t that bad. Seth’s grandmother was a cute little old lady who smiled at everyone. We all had to yell so his grandfather could hear, which just meant that Susie kept a running commentary going until Seth kicked her under the table.

In the evening, Susie escaped to Ed’s house and their parents went to their monthly discussion group. Mrs. Wilks apologized the whole time for leaving us, but a quiet evening on the couch with my love was just the relaxation I needed.

When Sunday rolled around I was feeling chilled out and fairly content with life. Mrs. Wilks’ three-course breakfast was still in my stomach as we walked hand in hand down the streets of Cambridge.

Spike was standing waiting for us.

“Hey
chica
,” she called out as we got within ten meters of her. I dropped Seth’s hand to give her a big hug.

When we parted, she visibly looked Seth up and down. “He is gorgeous,” She said approvingly.

“Isn’t she supposed to be a Goth?” Seth asked motioning to the pale pink blouse Spike wore tucked into tight black pants, under her long leather jacket.

Spike flashed a smile, “Who wants to be predictable?”

“I thought you two were going to be nice?” I complained.

“We are being nice,” Spike flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Plastic Starbucks sandwich or something better?” she asked.

I knew Seth would never want a Starbuck sandwich, but he just shrugged.

“What’s something better?” I asked.

“Vegetarian: where they weigh your plate to see how much you have to pay.”

I looked at Seth. He clearly wasn’t planning on choosing.

“Vegetarian,” I announced.

We fell into step with me in the middle. The place was small and hidden down a back alley, but the salads looked fresh enough.

As Seth made a preliminary inspection, Spike asked me, “How’s it going? Did the mother throw poison darts at you?”

“No, she was actually pretty nice. It turns out she’d decided that Seth was gay, so she’s relieved he’s not.”

Spike looked over at him, “I could see how she could make that mistake.”

I hit her hard on the arm.

She laughed as we paid and took our seats, “Only joking, hon.”

“Dare I ask what the joke is?” Seth asked as he placed his tray on the table.

“Spike cast aspersions over your sexuality,” I explained.

Seth was unfazed. “It’s a cheap shot.”

Spike smirked back at him. “Got any gigs coming up?” she asked Seth, obviously having decided to play nice.

“We’re playing in Toronto in a few weeks’ time, then Hamilton the day afterwards, because once we’ve driven there we might as well. We were offered something in Victoria, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. The others are up for it, but it’s a long way to go. We’ve got our regular Montreal gigs as well.”

Spike nodded approvingly, “I guess it’s just a matter of playing gigs until someone big pays attention.”

“Basically, we’re talking about putting together our second album sometime this year. Our My Space page gets a decent number of hits but it’s all the same people. We have a core fan base, but we’re talking about maybe two hundred people. That’s not exactly going viral. There are a lot of worthwhile bands out there. All we can do is keep plugging away and hope that Fate looks kindly on us.”