AND MY PATH LED ME TO YOU
Chapter 3: "Turn The Other Cheek"
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
"And it was like that your whole time there?" Hotaru asked.
"Palla-Palla isn't sure," Palla-Palla said, her mood muted. "Her memory is kind of fuzzy about a lot of things because she's stupid."
"And did this Belinda person leave you alone after that?"
"No," Palla-Palla said softly. "Linda-Linda didn't like Palla-Palla. Not a lot of the other kids liked Palla-Palla. Palla-Palla tried to like them, because Father Melendez-Sir said it was a good thing to love everybody. But not a lot of the others loved Palla-Palla back."
"Because of your handicap?" Usa asked.
"Maybe," Palla-Palla shrugged. "Maybe because Linda-Linda and the others made fun of the kids who played with Palla-Palla. Palla-Palla isn't sure."
"Sounds rough," Hotaru sympathized. "But at least you had Father Melendez, right?"
A small smile bloomed on Palla-Palla's face.
"Good morning, Father Melendez-Sir!" Palla-Palla chirped upon seeing the priest in the hall.
"Good morning, Palla-Palla," Melendez smiled as he so often did. He knelt down to the eight year old, who was a good two feet shorter than he was. "Did you wash up and comb your hair yourself this morning?"
Palla-Palla nodded proudly. It had taken Sister Arcia a good eight months to teach her how to get herself ready for breakfast and be in the dining hall on time. But once the morning routine was established in her mind, Palla-Palla was up every day without needing to be awakened and the first one in the communal bathroom. And at eight on the dot she was in line for breakfast, so much so that one could set a watch by her.
"And did you enjoy breakfast?" he asked.
Palla-Palla's happy pride shriveled. She swallowed anxiously.
"It was very nutritious," she parroted, recalling a response Sister Arcia had taught her, "and a blessing from God that Palla-Palla is grateful for." Left unspoken, for they had discovered in two years that Palla-Palla seemed incapable of lying, that the orphanage breakfast would never, ever, replace Sugar Bombs in the girl's heart.
"Well said," Melendez smirked. "So where are you off to now?"
"Palla-Palla has to clean the bathroom with Nor-Nor and Ana-Ana. That's her chore for today," she told him proudly.
"No doubt you will do it very well," Melendez nodded. Palla-Palla beamed. "You will be done in time for school, right?"
"One p.m. Palla-Palla mustn't be late," Palla-Palla chirped. "Father Melendez-Sir?"
"Yes?" Melendez asked warily.
"Has Palla-Palla's mommy come for her yet?"
It was the question Father Melendez always dreaded, because it was the question she asked of him every day since she'd come to Tanto Quatro Pai. Every day he knew he had to tell her no and break her heart again. And somehow, in some way, she always seemed to sense his answer before he could give it and her hope would deflate just a little.
"No, my child," he said, seeing her deflate even as he began to speak. "Not yet. Perhaps tomorrow. Where there is life, there is hope."
Palla-Palla nodded, then scampered off to the dormitory to begin cleaning the bathroom. Father Melendez watched her go, rising to his feet.
"Lord, what is your plan for her, that makes you put her through such pain?" he softly wondered.
Later that afternoon, Father Melendez was headed for one of the classrooms in the orphanage. There he taught elementary level Portuguese, math and basic computer literacy to the children under ten in the facility. The fourth hour of their four hour session was devoted to the Catholic Religion as mandated by the Bishop. Brasilia was still a majority Catholic country, though there were scattered factions of Quexalcotal devotees, Elvans, Protestants and "Serenes", westerners who worshiped the Japanese Queen Serenity as a god. It was the Bishop's wish that Brasilia remain majority Catholic, hence the mandatory course.
As he turned a corner, Melendez saw at the far end of the hall that Palla-Palla was pressed into a doorway as if she were hiding. Concerned, the priest approached her as silently as he could. But before he could reach her and speak, Palla-Palla turned to him and gestured for quiet.
"What troubles you, Palla-Palla?" he asked.
Palla-Palla didn't answer and Melendez quickly saw why. Passing through the connecting hall, headed for the dormitory, was the clique of teen girls that included twelve year old Belinda. At once they noticed Palla-Palla and seemed about to speak. Then they noticed Father Melendez and continued on.
"Have they been bothering you again, Palla-Palla?" he asked.
"Sometimes," she replied reluctantly. "Palla-Palla is sorry if she would have been late for class, but she heard them coming and . . . well. . ."
"Wished to avoid a conflict?" Melendez asked.
She nodded.
"Sometimes discretion is the best means to avoid pointless violence," Melendez told her. "Jesus the Son would look kindly upon you for that." He held out his hand and she took it. They strolled to the classroom together. "Please don't carry ill will for them in your heart. They act this way because they don't know better. It's my failing that I haven't managed to erase their fear and ignorance. But I will try again."
"Palla-Palla knows they do it because they don't think they're pretty enough or smart enough," Palla-Palla told him. "Or that Palla-Palla is going to steal her stuff, like Linda-Linda thinks. Palla-Palla wishes she could make them understand that she's not mean and won't make them sad. But Palla-Palla's not smart enough to make them understand."
"You seem very smart to me if you realize so much about them," Melendez offered with a smile.
"Palla-Palla heard it," the girl replied and Melendez assumed she had overheard a confession or confessions.
"It's difficult dealing with the wrath of another, Palla-Palla," he advised. "Difficult not to respond in kind."
"What does 'wrath' mean?" Palla-Palla asked. Melendez smothered a smile.
"Anger. A desire for revenge. Or venting your anger on another to make yourself feel better." He stopped and Palla-Palla looked up to him. "But it doesn't. It's the Devil's trick to make people hate you and make you hate yourself."
"What would Mr. Jesus-Sir do?" Palla-Palla wondered out loud.
"Turn the other cheek," Melendez responded and got a quizzical look from the girl. "A smile turneth away wrath. When someone is unkind to you, give them a smile and a gentle word of forgiveness. That is what He would do."
"And they'll stop?"
"Perhaps not at first," Melendez told her. "But such a response will stop the hatred from spreading. It will make you a stronger, better person. And, in seeing how filled with the Lord's love you are, perhaps it will inspire them to open themselves to God's love as well."
"Well what if they hit Palla-Palla?" she asked innocently.
"You must not respond in kind, for that will only make things worse. Forgiveness is your salvation and theirs," he said. Then he smiled. "But you also have my permission to tell Sister Arcia."
And the pair entered the classroom. Melendez glanced up at the chronometer. The time was 1 p.m.
Young Belinda, twelve years old and already beginning to bloom enough that she'd gotten "the talk" from one of the nuns - - thankfully not Sister Arcia - - entered the dormitory aimlessly. Her girlfriends were all off with Sister Arcia, helping out at a local kitchen for the poor, and not by choice. Since reaching the age of twelve, she was heavily segregated from the boys she'd grown up around. Since "the talk" she knew why.
And she wondered if she could attract the attention of any boy anyway. She was skinny as a rod, gangly, awkward, her only, to her, comely feature being her thick black hair. And even it was more coarse than she liked it. No boy would be interested in her. Just like nobody would ever adopt her now that she was twelve. What few came around looking to adopt were only interested in the younger ones.
And there was no way she would go back to her mother; not after what that woman had done. Belinda would kill herself first. She didn't care what Father Melendez said.
Entering the room, she saw Palla-Palla sitting on her bunk with two other girls, newer children both age five. The three were all struggling to read a picture book. The two new girls looked up and saw Belinda, then got up and moved away. Palla-Palla stopped for a moment, watched her reading friends move away, then went back to struggling with the book. She didn't look at Belinda. Belinda climbed up onto the top bunk without looking at Palla-Palla.
"Would you stop," Belinda grunted after a while. "You can't read it, so stop trying."
"Palla-Palla wants to know the bunny rabbit makes it back to his home through the white stuff," Palla-Palla said.
"Why?"
"She just wants to. And Sister Arcia-Ma'am says Palla-Palla should keep trying or she'll never get good at something."
"Sister Arcia is full of it," Belinda huffed.
"And Father Melendez-Sir says that Palla-Palla should do things that make her happy, so long as it doesn't make other people sad."
"Then knock it off," Belinda grunted. "You're annoying the Hell out of me."
"Palla-Palla is sorry," she murmured.
Belinda rolled over on her bunk and contemplated being stuck there until she was of age, and what would become of her then. The horrors of her past seemed to shroud her future in bleak colors.
"Palla-Palla is sorry for what your mommy did to you."
And in an instant Belinda was off her bunk and standing beside the lower one.
"What did you say?" growled Belinda.
"Palla-Palla is sorry that your mommy hurt you," the girl said innocently.
"What do you know about it? Who told you?" demanded Belinda.
"Maybe Belinda should forgive her mommy," Palla-Palla offered. "Father Melendez-Sir says we should forgive people who hurt us so we don't have bad thoughts that hurt us more."
"Father Melendez can take his advice and jam it!" Belinda snapped. "What does he know about anything? And what do you know about anything? You're just a runty little low achiever! Just because you're too stupid to realize what an awful place this world is doesn't mean you can tell me how to live!"
"Palla-Palla was just trying to help."
"Why? All I've ever done is be cruel to you! And you're too stupid to even realize it! You run around with that dopey grin all the time because you're too stupid to understand how rotten your life is! You're short! You're homely! You're brainless! Your mother abandoned you!"
"Mommy just went away," Palla-Palla whimpered. "She's coming back for Palla-Palla soon."
"NO SHE'S NOT!" snarled Belinda. "And you're too stupid to realize it!"
Palla-Palla sniffed, her eyes watering and her lip quivering.
"Palla-Palla forgives . . ."
And Belinda viciously struck her across the face.
"Don't - you - dare!" Belinda snapped. "I don't need your forgiveness and I don't need your help!"
Then she stormed out of the dormitory. The two five year olds who had been cowering on the far bunk came over to Palla-Palla.
"Did she hurt you?" Luisa asked. Palla-Palla just stared at the now empty doorway.
"You need to tell Sister Arcia," Teresa told her. "Sister Arcia will put her in her place."
"She can't do that," Luisa chided the other girl. "Those girls Belinda runs around with will get her if she does."
Palla-Palla got up and headed for the door. Luisa and Teresa watched her go with trepidation swirling around them.
Father Melendez was in his office, working on the monthly finances with Father Romo and Sister Velazquez. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," he remarked. When the door opened, but nobody answered, the priest looked up and found Palla-Palla standing in the doorway. Instantly he could tell the girl was upset. The welt on her cheek told him why.
"Excuse me, please," he told the others and came over to Palla-Palla. "Palla-Palla, who hit you?"
Palla-Palla looked down, reluctant to say. Thinking the room was too crowded, Melendez escorted her to another room where they could talk in private.
"You don't have to be afraid to say," Melendez told her. "I won't punish the person if you don't want me to. But you mustn't keep this burden to yourself."
"It was Linda-Linda," Palla-Palla murmured. "Palla-Palla made her angry and she hit Palla-Palla. Palla-Palla didn't mean to do it. She was just trying to help."
"I'm sure you were," Melendez told her.
"Palla-Palla doesn't understand."
"Well, Belinda has suffered in her life," Melendez tried to explain, "and that suffering has poisoned her soul. And it makes her angry, and that anger makes her do bad things. She's not happy and I guess she doesn't want anyone else to be happy if she can't be."
"No," Palla-Palla shook her head and then looked up at Melendez with the most fearful expression. "Palla-Palla doesn't mean that. Palla-Palla means Linda-Linda's mommy. How could she do something like that to her little girl?"
"You know what happened?" Melendez asked, surprised. "Belinda told you this?"
"Palla-Palla heard it," the girl scowled, looking away. "She didn't mean to."
"I'm surprised she shared it with anyone. I don't even know exactly what happened, just that her mother was put in prison for it."
"But why, Father Melendez-Sir!" Palla-Palla cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why would Linda-Linda's mommy do that to her?"
Melendez put his hand on Palla-Palla's head, as if he were blessing her.
"Because she didn't see the light of God's love," Melendez replied softly, "and let the darkness consume her. When that happens, people like her will do dark things because they have no love within them." He knelt down so he was facing Palla-Palla directly. "Sometimes they're too far gone to ever see the light, and we have to put them in a place where they can't hurt anyone or hurt themselves. But we must keep trying. It may be too late for Belinda's mother to be saved, but I pray it isn't too late for Belinda. That's why I keep trying to reach her, to show her God's light. That's why all the other nuns and staff try, too. And I hope you'll try. Because, Palla-Palla, you have a special way about you that none of us have. And you may be able to bring salvation to her where we fail. Please forgive her and please keep trying to show her the light of God that shines so brightly in you."
"Palla-Palla will try," the girl nodded. "Thank you, Father Melendez-Sir."
Melendez watched her walk off, then went looking for Belinda. So far Palla-Palla was saved, but his work wasn't done with Belinda.
A few days later, Sister Arcia was walking down the hall from the small chapel in the orphanage to the administration room. There had been a fight in the boys' dormitory between two twelve year old boys. After breaking it up, she determined that it had been just one more testosterone-fueled fight over territory and dominance. The two combatants were subjected to Sister Arcia's legendary ruler, then roughly escorted to the chapel so one of the priests could hear their confessions and assign penance. On the way back, the nun couldn't help but ponder just how evolved the human species was from other animals if things like this still happened.
"Sister Arcia-Ma'am!" she heard a cry and turned. Palla-Palla was running up to her and the girl was frantic.
"Haven't I told you that it's 'Sister Arcia'?" she frowned.
"Yes, Sister Arcia-Ma'am!" Palla-Palla exclaimed. The nun frowned.
"What is it?" she sighed.
"Come quick! Please, come quick!"
"Palla-Palla, calm down," the nun told her.
"Please, Sister Arcia-Ma'am has to come quick!" Palla-Palla entreated.
"I have to come 'quickly'," she corrected.
"Yes, she does! She does!" Palla-Palla gasped. "Please!"
"All right," Arcia said, wondering what had excited the girl so. Knowing Palla-Palla, it could be anything. "Lead on."
Palla-Palla turned and ran down the hall.
"Palla-Palla, don't run!" Arcia reprimanded her.
Palla-Palla slowed to a quick walk for three paces, then began to run again. Turning a corner, Arcia found her standing in the doorway of a utility closet. Seeing how distraught she was, Arcia quickened her pace. If this turned out to be something trivial . . .
"Sweet Mary and Joseph," the nun gasped when she looked inside. Then she lunged past Palla-Palla, grabbing Belinda's body to support it while she tried to work the homemade noose from around her throat. "GET FATHER MELENDEZ!"
Continued in Chapter 4