On Plots and Subplots of Human Misery Part I – Twenty Years for a loaf of bread

by Arnold De Villa
January 16, 2013
The times were hard. Rita was only a child. Her skin, wrinkled and dry clung tightly to her bones like a flimsy thread. Her father just died, ambushed by a misguided bullet in a war on foreign shores. Her mother, terribly ill, barely kept her eyes open. Jim was her mother’s youngest brother. Although he did not have work or money to buy them food, he was the only one who is able to help them. One day, after seeing tears on Rita’s tired face, he decided to get them some food. So Jim went to the corner bake shop, sneaked himself in, stole a loaf of bread, and scampered away. Unfortunately, he was immediately arrested, only a few yards away Rita and her mother. For that petty crime, he was jailed for 20 years, growing under the shackles of forced labor. His youth, lost forever in the shadows of an unjust system, morphed into anger, becoming a man filled with anger, bitterness and confusion.
One day, the warden cried out his number. “20931, here are your papers. You are now on parole. Be sure to report to the closest station at the end of each week. Now go”. After 20 years, Jim was back on the streets. On barefoot, there was no way for him to go home. So he tried to look for a job, any job that could provide him with a hot meal and a warm bed. After showing his documents, the business owners he met did not only reject him for a possible employment. They drove him away like a pest, a criminal with a scar on his name and a tag on his head. He roamed the streets, begged for food, and treated with disdain. At the end of the day, he found himself on a bench in front of a church. At that very moment, an elderly lady with so many things on her hand was passing by and saw Jim. “Young man, this is not a place for you to stay. Go and knock at that door by the Church. An old priest will let you in. Tell him that Marjorie sent you there. He is my brother. I will have to come in from the back door where the kitchen is”. And with that, the lady left.
Without second thoughts, Jim stood up from the bench, walked a couple of yards, and knocked at the door by the Church. An old priest answered. “Come in, my son. Come in. I am Father Charles. It is cold out there and you must be hungry”, the priest invited Jim.
Jim replied, “And I am a convict. I have walked the whole day looking for work but no one would even talk to me after I showed them my papers. Here, look at it, before you also tell me to leave”.
Father Charles literally pulled Jim to come in and ignored his words. “You could not have arrived on a more perfect time. My sister just finished making dinner. She makes the best porridge, you know. Here, sit down, I am sure you would love her cooking”.
Jim, Marjorie and Father Charles all sat together on the kitchen table. Jim did not say a word. He was so starved that he did not have time to spare without putting food on his mouth. “What did you do, Jim?”, Marjorie broke the silence. “I killed five people and slithered their throats”, Jim barked back with a cynical scowl. “I don’t think you did”, Father Charles said. And then he continued, “It is late. I am sure you are tired. Stay for the night and leave tomorrow. We have an extra bed for you”.
Part II – “You forgot to bring the most valuable piece I gave you”
It was still dark when a banging noise pounded on Father Charles’s door. Marjorie came running while the old priest trailed behind. The moment the door opened, Jim was pushed on the ground by two cops. “We caught this man almost out of town Father. After showing us his papers, we decided to check on his bag and found these (silver plates and silver ware). He claims that you gave them to him as a gift. We are sure that he stole it. Just in case you don’t know, this guy is a parolee and he is a thief”, one of the cops told Father Charles.
“This man is my friend, gentlemen. I am so glad you brought him back to me. He is telling the truth. I gave those things to him. But he forgot the most important gifts I gave him. And I am so thankful that you brought him here. You can leave now gentlemen. You did your job, but he is not a thief”
While Jim stared at Father Charles with a beleaguered look, the cops left puzzled. In the meantime, Marjorie was just there quietly witnessing the event but not comprehending what her brother just did. Her surprise turned into a deeper surprise when Fr. Charles commanded her to get the silver candlesticks and give them to Jim. “Charles”, she complained. “Those are heirlooms from our great aunt. After we fed this man and gave him a roof to sleep, he steals the little that we have and still you would want to give him more?”
“Hush Marjorie, this is the only way that I could get Jim back to God. Now if you please, leave us alone”.
“Old man, who are you? Why would you do this to me? I am a despicable person. I do not deserve either your forgiveness or understanding”.
“My son, let this moment mark a new path in your life. On this day I am recalling you back to goodness. On this day I am claiming you back for God. Your sins have been forgiven. Now you need to forgive yourself and start a new life. You will never be a thief again. You will leave and forget the evils of your past and will lead a life of goodness. The door of my house will always be open for you. You are now free. Let no one else condemn you”.
Father Charles left Jim alone as Jim knelt on the floor with his face against his knees, whimpering like a lost child.
“You whom they call a God. What do you want from me? You allowed my youth to die for twenty years all because you did nothing for my niece and my sister. For twenty years, I lived like a beast. And now this? Where can I go? What should I do? How can I live?”
Jim faced the heavens with tears falling from his eyes and a prayer he did not understand. And then he tore his papers into pieces. He was convinced that he was no longer a marked man.
(This story is not my creation. I will continue with more parts and will later disclose later basis of this tale. At the very end, you will know. Right now, please wait for the next chapter….)