Radical Reparations by Marcus Anthony Hunter

Author:Marcus Anthony Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

5:00 P.M.–5:30 P.M.

Martha prayed nonstop in her room after lunch. She battled feelings of unease after seeing the shuttle and Miriam arriving in Herzlton. At the time, Martha did her best to keep quiet as she and Mary washed the dishes. She even pretended to be happy while she played with her grandchildren, watching some children’s programs on the television. When Daniel asked if everything was okay and if she was feeling better, Martha even lied to avoid his inquiry. Rather than tell him the truth that she was worried something bad was on the way, Martha smiled and said that she was just feeling “blessed.” Meanwhile, Martha modulated between severe fear and nervousness.

Almost three decades after her retirement, Martha couldn’t believe how Herzlton was unchanged. The cabinets, floors, windows, rooms—everything was as she last remembered it. Even the wallpaper that depicted stags in the forest was the same. The whole thing felt eerie. Martha knew she had to tell Mary what had been on her heart since the news about the deed transfer. Martha also regretted that she neglected to visit Mr. Hoffman before he died. As she kneeled by the bed she used to make, Martha felt tremendously guilty that she hadn’t come the previous summer to see him off to Israel and was now living in the home.

Martha scanned the room and remembered the young children once had bunk beds in the room and how she would read them bedtime stories. She could see her younger self sitting in the rocking chair and reading the fables of her childhood until the children’s eyes closed and their breathing went deep and grew loud into snores. The rocking chair was still in the same exact place, angled as though it had been waiting for her return. Martha felt haunted by the ghost of her former self in the room. Martha couldn’t even remember much of the events of the day because the events of the past kept bullying their way forward.

Unable to beat the past back into submission in her subconscious, Martha pulled out her well-worn Bible. Unsure where to start or what scripture would assist her in easing her nerves and fear, Martha decided that wherever the book opened would be the place where her message lay. She placed the Bible onto the mattress, closed her eyes, and then opened the book. When Martha opened her eyes and saw that the Bible had opened to the book of Revelation, chapter twenty-one, all her fears were confirmed. Thinking to herself, This is the end, Martha pushed the Bible to the side and closed it. She stood before the rocking chair, which looked to be slightly swaying without anyone sitting in it.

Martha began reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

“Our father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. On Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

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