The Revelation of Joan

Chapter 10 Passing Time

I gave Luke and Grace a little time together -- a "Grace period" I thought, smiling at the pun -- then went upstairs to check on the kids. I looked in on Luke first; he was staring at his computer screen.

I shut the door so the others wouldn't hear. "Do you find out what was bugging Joan?"

"Yeah, Mom. Some guy from school propositioned her. She didn't like it, to say the least."

I frowned, remembering my own tragedy. "Do you think he's dangerous?"

"No. And if he comes near her again, I've threatened to beat him up. Joan thinks Grace might be more intimidating."

The fact that they could joke about it made me feel less worried. "Good. With both Will and Kevin away, it's good of you to feel protective of your sister."

I walked to stand by him, and finally was at an angle to see the computer screen, which was filled with a pretty pattern of geometric figures. "What's that?"

"This? Oh, just a graphics illustration of an article that I was reading. Did you know that there are only three figures that can fill a two-dimensional space? Triangles, squares, and hexagons. All other designs are just elaborations of the basic three."

I looked at the screen, almost mesmerized. "Is this just a game? Or is there something important behind it?"

"This part's just a game. After talking with Joan and Grace, I was in the mood of something light. But in three dimensions, 'fitting together' can be crucial. DNA works only because the two possible pairs of amino acids occupy exactly the same space. No DNA, then no life."

Life is fitting together. What a concept! "Luke, do you think you could show me how the graphics program works?"

"Sure. Why?

"I'm still trying to come up with a suitable artwork for the synagogue. The rabbi said that an abstract design could represent -- how did he put it -- the beauty and order of God's creation."

"Cool. Tomorrow?"

"All right." I started toward the door, then thought of something else. "By the way, have you found a gift for Kevin?"

"Gift?"

"For the wedding. It IS a rather crucial moment in the family's life. Joan's going to give an expensive book from her store to Lily."

Luke clearly hadn't thought about it.

"If you need help -- I know you don't have a job--"

"I'll take care of it," said Luke hastily.

"Very well."

I crossed the hallway, being careful not to bother Grace. Joan was in one of her don't-bother-me moods, so I left her to herself.

The next morning she came down for breakfast, having skipped the previous day's dinner. I had an idea that might get her out of her funk and would certainly benefit me. "Joan, would you pose for a picture for me?"

She considered it. "It won't be a nude painting, will it?"

I laughed. "No, honey, I just need your face. You'll be Joan of Arc."

She looked intrigued. "I've got bookstore duties--"

"I'll just take a photograph and us it. This IS the twenty-first century, after all!"

After breakfast I got out a camera and got her to pose. "I need a happy expression. Joan of Arc, triumphant over all enemies."

"I don't have much to feel triumphant about."

"Think about last winner when they asked you to star in the school play."

Her face lit up. It was only a momentary emotion, but it would be perpetuated in the photo and the painting.

Later that morning I got a phone call from Lily. She had learned about Kevin's special needs, she said, and she was "cool" with them. She had fixed a surprisingly early date for the wedding: the end of June. When I asked why, she said that she wanted it to coincide with the scheduled end of the church repairs, and made an enigmatic remark that "Kevin's sexy, and I'm getting a little tired of saving myself."

Next I went upstairs to consult Luke on the abstract-pattern program. I decided on hexagons as the most complex possible pattern using a single shape. According to the program, three colors were sufficient to make each hexagon distinct from its neighbors; to avoid being garish, I chose cool colors: blue, green, black. Inside each black hexagon a Star of David would be delicately traced in gold, with the six points touching the midpoint of a side of the hexagon.

Once I got it settled I took a color printout to the synagogue. Rabbi Polonsky was on his leave of absence, of course, but the cantor was there and apparently had enough authority to decide on the design. He liked it, and decided that it would be repeated over one wall of a restored meeting room. All I would have to furnish was the template.

After that things fell into a pattern. I concentrated on the painting of Joan of Arc. Luke, taking advantage of the fact that neither Will nor Kevin were at home, took the Boat out of the garage and started a project of his own in there, which he refused to talk about.

Grace got a job working for a women's shelter during the day. At night, she and Luke apparently held to their resolve not to get in each other's beds. They did seem to hug a lot, but I let that slide.

Will came back from his research trip a few days after Grace moved in. He was dejected. "No firm leads. Some cases of anti-Semitism that seemed to match the synagogue bombing, and some other cases that resembled the sabotage at the church, but nothing that links to both."

"Maybe it was two independent attacks."

"Ugh, I hate that possibility. But two unprecedented hate crimes in one night? There's gotta be a connection."

"And I'm sure you'll find it. But you've been letting it control your life night and day. It's time to leave your work at the office and enjoy home life. Our firstborn is getting married; isn't that marvelous?"

"Yeah. To a nun! Who would have thought we'd have a nun for a daughter-in-law?"

"Ex-nun. Maybe you and Lily can have fun talking about what you don't like about the Church."

Oh, and there was Joan. She found a book in her store that seemed to fascinate her, and spent the next couple of weeks reading it. Kafka's THE TRIAL, about a man who encounter strangers who seemed to have mysterious power over him, and never answered questions. A literary classic, yes, but rather morbid. Even if two years of "enthusiasms" I was puzzled: why would Joan relate to that?

(Author's note: Luke's speech about patterns was inspired by the marvelous science-history book THE ASCENT OF MAN, by Jacob Bronowski. Luke is smarter than me, so I have to borrow his ideas from somewhere else)