Kevin doesn't get coffee the next morning. He's sure the ex-Mormons notice, but nobody says anything. There are heavy storm clouds on the horizon. It feels to Kevin like a promise of change and renewal.
That promise isn't borne out in the Church of Arnold's morning prayer. "Give Elder Church's mother the strength to leave her husband, and give his father the courage to seek help." Each day, the words become a bit more rote, a bit less special. Elder Church doesn't even look like he means them anymore.
Elder Church sends Neeley from the internet café. Elder Neeley reports that his companion's words were, "One of us should do some good today."
"I should stay to keep him company," Arnold says without hesitation. Kevin was just going to suggest that one of them do that. His little buddy is becoming more and more awesome by the day.
Except when it comes to physical boundaries. Kevin finds his arms pinned to his sides in a tight hug as Arnold says, "Good luck today, Elder Price! May the Force be with you!" Kevin waits the hug out, trying not to roll his eyes, then leaves with Elder Neeley.
Maybe, he realizes later, that hug happened because Arnold was worried about his feelings after his non-date with Effu. He wishes he'd hugged back.
"How've you been?" he asks Elder Neeley.
"I'm okay."
"Really?"
It takes Elder Neeley a moment to answer. "No." He swallows, blinking rapidly, and Kevin realizes he's trying not to cry.
For a moment, he feels a skin-crawling awkwardness. Then he puts his hand on Elder Neeley's shoulder.
Elder Neeley quickly wipes at his eyes. "Gosh. Heh. Sorry, Elder Price." He inhales deeply. "I'm still good to proselytize today."
"You don't have to be." Kevin pushes past his resistance to breaking the rules; a missionary's health is far more important. "We can find a place to sit and talk for a while."
Elder Neeley shakes his head. "Thanks, but no. I feel like all I've done is sit and stew. This is what I need." He's frowning slightly, as if he's not quite sure, but once they actually get proselytizing, he seems to take to it well enough.
They're interrupted two hours into their proselytizing by Arnold, who hurries over to them, looking worried. Wordlessly, he holds out his videocamera, flips open the view-screen and presses play.
Elder Church sits in front of a nondescript wall. "My name is Brian Church of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I'm a former member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, currently a member of the Church of Arnold serving a two-year mission in Uganda, Africa."
He swallows. "I'm talking to you today because my family has a secret that we've hidden for years. But God's spoken to me and told me I can't hide it any longer. My father, Hubert Church, is an alcoholic. He also," he inhales deeply, "he also abuses my mom when he drinks. Screams at her, insults her, hits her, and one time—I was eight—she had to go to the hospital..." He inhales deeply.
"So many people have turned aside, looked away, ignored what was right under their noses. Just stop. Mom, get yourself someplace safe until Dad's sober. Things are not going to get better with him. Dad, please, get help for your disease. I—" Brian pauses, swallows once more, then says, "I just want my family back. That's all. God bless."
The video ends. "He wants to post it to the church's Youtube channel and email it to his old church and his dad's office," Arnold says, looking between Kevin and Elder Neeley.
"That would just make his dad angrier," says Elder Neeley anxiously. They begin to start toward the café, but Arnold stops them, saying he needs to find Mafala and Nabulungi.
"What for?" Kevin asks.
"Well, Mafala knows lots of stuff, and Nabulungi always knows what to do," Arnold replies, a bit surprised that he even has to explain it. Kevin fights an annoyed frown off of his face. He'll do it if it makes Arnold happy.
They find Mafala and Nabulungi then congregate in the café.
Mafala says to Brian, "You know your father best. What do you think he would do if you released this video to everyone he knows?"
"Drink," Brian answers without needing to think. "But once everyone knows, Mom will have no excuse to stay with him. This'll be the shock to her system that she needs. She'll have to leave."
"Perhaps an email to your bishop back home would suffice?" Mafala says.
"It's not enough," Brian says, his voice quivering. He looks away, clears his throat, then forcefully repeats, "It's not enough! All this prayer, for what? Nothing!"
"If you were there in person, I would say put up the video," Nabulungi says. "But, unless someone is there to keep your mother safe—"
"What do you know?" Brian snaps, pacing back and forth. "You don't have a mother!"
Nabulungi's only reaction is to recoil slightly. Someone nearby gasps—Kevin doesn't see who, as he's putting a hand on Brian's shoulder to steer him away from the rest of the group and give him time to calm down.
"Don't!" Brian jerks his shoulder out from Kevin's hand, eyes shining with tears.
Arnold, face flushed, steps into Brian's personal space. "YOU CAN'T TALK TO NABULUNGI LIKE THAT! APOLOGIZE!"
Tears spill down Brian's cheeks. "IF YOU WON'T HELP ME, THEN I'M NOT A PART OF YOUR STUPID FUCKING CHURCH!"
He storms off to the washroom, Elder Neeley right behind. Arnold looks so miserable that Kevin moves to put his hand on Arnold's shoulder—just as Nabulungi reaches for the same shoulder. Their hands hover near each other, only inches apart, and neither move. Nabulungi arcs an eyebrow at Kevin, a nonverbal, Well?
Kevin, to his horror, finds himself beginning to glare at her before he snaps out of it and drops his hand. He glances at her to find her looking at him with surprise. Damn. She noticed. His lack of coffee is making him edgier than he ever thought it could.
Not long after, Brian and Elder Neeley leave the washroom, both rather red-eyed and subdued. Kevin waits for Brian to apologize and say that he won't leave the church.
"What I said was unforgivable, Sister Hatimbi," Brian says. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Nabulungi nods and murmurs that she understands. Kevin waits, but Brian doesn't appear to have anything else to add.
"I just—" Arnold begins, but Brian interrupts him.
"I'll make the arrangements with Elder McKinley tonight."
Silence, soon filled by Arnold's awkward, "Um, yeah. Okay. Sure. If that's, um, what you—" Brian's expression turns contemptuous, and Arnold trails off. For a dizzying instant, Kevin wishes Brian Church would drop dead.
Kevin swallows and breathes deeply to calm himself.
Everyone splits up to do some more proselytizing. An hour later, proselytizing becomes even more of a chore when the storm breaks and rain falls in thick, heavy sheets. Despite the umbrellas of the ex-Mormons and the plastic-bag raincoats of the villagers, most people wind up wet and grumpy by the end of the day.
It's a quiet ride back and a quiet supper. Brian Church seems to have gone to that place inside himself he retreats to. Elder Neeley watches his companion, tense and anxious. Arnold, for once, isn't hungry. Nabulungi gives him an extra-long hug before she leaves.
After dinner, Brian sequesters himself in Rob's office for an hour that seems to last a day. The ex-Mormons get a half-hearted game of Go Fish going. Kevin finds it hard to remember the rules of a game he's played since he was six.
"Maybe he should post the video," Elder Neeley says, out of the blue. "Elder Church said God told him to do it. We can't—you know—ignore God. Right?"
"I'm just worried that he's acting more like Starbuck and less like Lee," Arnold says. Receiving blank stares, he launches into a long explanation of Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace and Lee 'Apollo' Adama, characters on the new BSG who have very different viewpoints. The eyes of the other Elders glaze over. Eric begins to fidget and Elder Davis tries to cover his yawn with his cards.
Kevin interrupts with, "It's just a really complicated situation. I'd rather err on the side of caution, myself. The Book of Mormon says—"
The door to Rob's office opens. Rob and Brian step out, both looking tired and disappointed. Neither seems sure who should speak first. Eventually, Rob steps forward.
"Elder Church has decided that, since we made a commitment to the orphanage, he'll stay with us for two more months. After that, he'll be leaving Uganda and leaving the Church of Arnold. We'll still be proselytizing in Yunna for a few more days to help Elder Church get everything set up."
Kevin's stomach feels like it's filled with lead. Brian won't meet anyone's gaze. Though he makes as if to speak once or twice, he abruptly turns away and goes to his room. Elder Neeley sets down his cards and follows. Nobody continues the game. Rob leads a prayer for wisdom and reconciliation and each pair of companions turns in early that night.
Though Arnold usually starts their nightly prayers, this time it's up to Kevin. "Please, Heavenly Father, keep the family we've made here together. Show Elder Church that we need him here with us. May the Force be with us, that we may live long and prosper."
"Heavenly Father," Arnold says, "help...help me..." He sniffles.
Before Kevin can think of what to do, he's standing up and moving toward Arnold with his arms open. Arnold latches onto him so tightly Kevin gives an audible, "Ooof!" Kevin squeezes Arnold even tighter. The last person he held this fiercely was his mother before he left for Africa.
Arnold mumbles into Kevin's chest. "If I'd—if I'd handled it better, maybe..."
Kevin pats his back. "Don't think about that."
"What if everyone else leaves?"
"They won't. And if they do, well, it'll be a church of you and me, won't it? I'll never leave you." After a second's thought, Kevin frowns—a bad move, implying that others might leave. "And nobody else will, either."
"But I'm a fake. The Elders know it!"
Kevin wishes he could transfer some of his confidence through touch. "It's not about you. It's about all of us, here. They know our mission is bigger than any one of us. God has us all here for a reason."
"And, gosh, Elder Church's poor mother...What if we're not doing enough to help her?"
"God has a plan. We can't see it from here. It hurts, and it's so, so hard, but we have to trust God to do what's right for His children."
"But—"
"No buts, pal. The past is past. We're going to get through this. Tomorrow is a latter day, remember?"
Arnold exhales. Finally, he relaxes. Kevin relaxes too, but doesn't end the hug, though he really should. Bizarrely, he thinks, Let's see Nabulungi top this.
"Thanks, brother," Arnold says, beaming up at him.
Kevin can't help but grin back, his heart leaping. "You're welcome, brother."
Arnold reaches up to pat Kevin's hair. Kevin, surprised not to feel his usual irritation at Arnold's gesture, lets him. He's rewarded by a chuckle from Arnold that makes happiness flow through him in a warm wave.
"Always my hair," Kevin notes.
"It reminds me of my Chewie plushie," Arnold says, his gaze going far away. Kevin has no idea what that means, but he isn't about to interrupt. "Comforting, you know? Kind of like Nabulungi's hair—"
The warm wave becomes ice cold. Arnold keeps talking, then stops, looking worried. It's only then that Kevin realizes that his feelings are visible on his face.
"Sorry, pal," Arnold says, dropping his arms. Kevin drops his too, still struggling against the harsh spike of anger in his chest. "Guess I talk about her way too much, huh?"
"It's not too much," Kevin assures him. At Arnold's skeptical look, Kevin says, "You're in love. You're allowed."
"I don't want to bug you. If you start getting annoyed, lemme know, okay?"
"Well, when I fall in love and start talking about a girl the same way, I hope you return the favour."
Kevin notices but ignores the split-second pause before Arnold's enthusiastic, "It's a deal!"