WHEN HE LEFT
AUTUMN 2012
Joshua came back in the night and was surprised to find the whole house quiet and dark. His father had warned him against keeping late nights, but he had a lot of things to do later in the day. He was careful because whenever it was like this, his father was always lurking in the dark and seizes any opportunity to wipe him.
'Spare the rod and spoil the child was his father's favourite passage of the Bible. The only time his father approved of staying out until it was dark was unless it was a church program and he didn't like church programs.
He slowly turned on the lights in the living room and was surprised to see nobody there. Something was wrong. Usually, his dad was always seated on his rocking chair while Angel would sit on the adjacent seat reading the Bible, but that night, no one was in the living room. He started up the stairs.
Maybe his dad was sick that is why he had forgotten about him, maybe he was too busy with his study. He thought about too many maybes as he ascended the stairs. When he got to the top of the stairs, he pulled his shoes and held them in his hands, tiptoeing in his stocks across his dad's study.
He had almost gone past his father's study when he heard his father's voice, talking to somebody else. The study door was slightly open and he peeped in. It was Reverend Father Bernard from the church. His heart stopped for some moments. What was Reverend Father Bernard doing in their home?
"He has been possessed by a demon. We need to act fast before that evil spirit gets hold of his soul," his father said.
"Are you sure of what you are saying? Joshua doesn't strike me as a boy who likes other boys. He comes to church and no one has reported anything like that."
Joshua's heart that stopped fell into his abdomen. They knew he was gay! How? He had not told anyone yet except Angel.
"He told his sister. He came out to her last night. I don't want that evil spirit corrupting her. I don't want to confront him so that he won't run away before the exorcism begins."
"How are we going to get him to stay at a place?"
"I will tie him up when he is asleep," his father replied.
Joshua decided that he had heard enough. Did Angel betray him? He would have carried her secret to the grave. He went straight to Angel's room and tried the handle but it was locked. He knocked softly but no answer came.
"Angel, open the door, it's me, Joshua."
"Josh?" he heard Angel's voice asking.
"Yes. Open the door they are planning something against me. I..."
"You can't come inside my room."
He stopped. "Why?"
"Because dad said you are possessed by an evil spirit and should be exorcised."
"That's not true, Angel. I told you what is happening."
"Please go away," Faith's voice was now cracked with tears. "Your food is on the counter in the kitchen."
Joshua's hand slipped from the door handle. That was when he realised that Angel had really ratted him out. She did not only judge him, she betrayed him too. He left her door and went to the kitchen. He was going to eat that food, get strength and run away from the house, he assured himself.
But he didn't even finish the food when he started feeling dizzy. He tried to keep his eyes open but his eyelids just started to close on their own. The kitchen started to whirl and he staggered about like a drunk, trying to hold himself as the world spun and in a matter of seconds, he was on the floor, his memory blank.
When he woke up, he was tied up and was kept in the middle of the living room. His whole body was covered in sweat. His sight was still blurry and he heard voices like echoes and something was sprinkled on him. His food had been drugged and left for him in the kitchen. His father had known that he might run away after that night. He tried to wriggle free from the rope but it was to no avail. He saw the face of his father and saw Father Bernard holding a cross and holy water in front of him.
He heard a girl's voice sobbing and he turned around to see Angel by a corner clutching her mouth and sobbing. He shook himself to know if he could be free but the rope that has been used to bind him was tight.
"Let me go!" he screamed.
"The spirit is manifesting!" Faith Bernard screamed. "Oh, you ancient demon from Sodom and Gomora! Leave this body now! I command you to leave!" Father Bernard said and sprinkled more holy water on him.
Unconsciousness started seeping in again and he closed his eyes and went blank. He could only hear the echoes of their voices and Angel's sobs growing louder and louder and then distant and then he heard nothing more.
When he woke up again, he was in his room, on his bed. This whole body hurt and he managed to climb down from the bed. He was going to leave this godforsaken house. He went straight to the closet and took out his suitcase. Then he stopped and thought about Angel. If he leaves, she was going to be alone with their father. He dropped the suitcase on the bed and went out of his room. The house was quiet. It was usually quiet but he was troubled by it, after what had happened to him, he became scared of a quiet house.
He heard a tiny clinking of the fork on a plate and he started down the stairs to the dining. Angel and their father sat in the dining eating silently. Angel was just picking her food. His father reached and touched Angel's hand.
"You don't have to be scared, you did the right thing, now that the evil has left, we can move ahead as if nothing happened. We should be grateful to God."
They didn't notice when he came and stood beside the dining. "I am leaving," he said.
They turned to look at him. "Hey, Joshua, my son come sit and eat with us."
"I said I want to leave!" Joshua yelled. His father glowered at him, but he was unruffled. "And I still like boys! No demon possessed me! I just found out my sexuality!"
His father bolted up from his seat. "No child of mine would bring shame to me! No child of mine would turn to be gay!"
"If you don't let me leave, I am going to make it public and disgrace you and disgrace your faith!"
His father left the and charged toward him. Faith shrieked as both men landed on the floor with heavy thuds. Joshua who just turned eighteen and now possessed that manly strength shoved his dad away, his dad managed to climb on top of him again and he shoved him away again.
Faith kept screaming as the two of them fought, breaking things and hitting each other. Faith didn't know what to do. She couldn't separate them and she couldn't go and call for help because her father would kill her after. She went to their presence and pretended to faint. She dropped to the floor.
Both men stopped and looked at her. They left each other and ran to her.
"Angel! Angel!" Joshua yelled.
"Faith!" her father called. "Go and get me some water!" he instructed Joshua.
Joshua went and brought a bowl of water and handed it over to his father. He ran up the stairs and started shoving his clothes into the suitcase.
Her father sprinkled water on her face and her eyes flared open. "Thank God, you are awake. Are you alright?"
"Is Josh really leaving?" she asked slowly.
"Let him leave. I don't want you to say anything about this to anyone. Don't ever tell anyone that he has been possessed. He is a bad child and a prodigal son too. He would come back."
"You shouldn't let him leave at all," Faith protested.
Her father gave her a stern look and she decided to shut her mouth. "What did the Bible teach us? The Bible said if your hand makes you sin, you should cut it off for it is better to enter the kingdom of God incomplete than to condemned to eternal damnation. Joshua is that hand, that part of our body we need to cut off right now.
Faith didn't say anything else, she dare not even say a word. She nodded. Joshua came down the stairs and walked up to them. "
" I am leaving you, you would die of loneliness! " Joshua yelled and looked that Faith.
"You will come back, " her father had said confidently.
"Never. Now read my lips. I will never see you again, I cut all ties that made us family." He picked up his suitcase a nd went to the door. Before he left, he gave Angel one last stare and went out of the door.