The Book of Zion: Dusty
By D.T and Mr Stepford
Dusty 3
The next morning Dusty woke up and immediately regretted it. Last night was a blur, thanks in no small part to the alcohol Freddy had, in a rather literal way, poured down his throat. She wasn’t next to him in bed. He could hear the shower in his bathroom. The door bell rang. Oh, damn it. Caroline and Grace were bringing his laundry this morning. He pulled on his jeans from last night and staggered down the stairs to open the door.
Caroline gasped in horror when she saw Dustin. “Oh, no, Dustin, did the casserole make you sick? I’m so sorry.” “No...No..but I’m um feeling under the weather....and I..don’t want you ladys to get it...so I can grab my laundry here” “Oh, I never get sick,” Caroline said reaching up to lay the backs of her fingers against his forehead to check for a fever. Her touch put him in daze long enough to let grace get past him with the laundry
He didn’t have a fever, but he was most certainly not well. If anything he looked like those photos Aunt Ruth had shown her of men and women who were “hungover”. She’d also given them a recipe for a tonic that would help alleviate the effects. In this condition, they’d been warned, men and women needed extra special handling. Caroline persuaded Dusty to sit in the living room while she mixed the tonic and brought it to him the way she had the tea yesterday. After he took a few sips she asked, “Do you feel any better?”
To His amazement felt much better “Yes...Yes..I feel much better...Thank you” His bliss was short lived when he heard the shouts from his bedroom “What the fuck are you doing in here?!!....GShock?.....Is that You!?!” “I used to answer to that name,” Grace said as she put Dusty’s laundry away and making notes on what else in the bedroom needed improving.“Holy fucking shit!” Freddy couldn’t believe it. “What the hell happened to you?"“I was restore by the truth of the One True Church and Redeem buy the One True Prophet” Grace said never breaking stride from her duty’s.
Caroline winced at the sound of the profanities coming from upstairs, and Dusty felt a crazy urge to cover her ears to protect her from it. “Wait just a goddamn minute,” Freddy said going over to Grace, grabbing her arm and turning her so they were face to face. “You actually bought into all that Zionite bullshit? And just what the hell are you doing in my boyfriend’s bedroom any way?"“Please could you restrain from the profanity and I bought into the truth and I here offering my service to Dustin”
“Oh, really? Yo, Dust-tee!” Freddy said as she walked out of the bedroom only to come to a dead stop at the sight of him sitting in a chair with some holy-moly homemaker kneeling next to him. “It not what you think” Dusty said. to be quite honest he didn’t know what she was thinking and looking over at Caroline he really didn’t know what he was thinking either “Why did you even let these bitches in the house?” Freddy demanded to know. “They offered to do some free cleaning that’s all and their not Bitches” Dusty said as he stood up and intrinsically set in front of the kneeling Caroline as if he was shielding her from a threat
“You shouldn’t speak to him like that,” Caroline said. Perhaps she ought to have been scared but looking at this wild, lost, embittered woman, Caroline only felt pity. “I will speak to him however I want you little Stepford Bitch!” Freddy shout “I said stop speaking to her like that!” Dusty shouted back " Like you could actually do anything to stop me you pussy....” Dusty knew deep down inside that she was right hung his head down and sat back down
Caroline told herself not to be disappointed. This other woman was clearly too badly hardened to respond to chastisement from a Sister. The firm hand of a Brother of the Priesthood was needed. Grace, having finished her chores upstairs came into the room and went over to Caroline. “We’d best take our leave,” she whispered to her Sister. Having been in Freddy’s shoes herself she also knew that her former rival needed greater discipline than she or Caroline could provide. “I hope you feel better soon,” Caroline said to Dustin as she stood up. “Thanks” Dusty said his head hung down unable to make eye contact with. He only could tell that they left from the sound of the door closing
They had better luck the rest of the morning. The same two doors were slammed in their faces and there was one no answer but at the next home the door was opened by a woman in a ratty bathrobe who looked as though she had cried herself to sleep the night before. She agreed to let them come in and clean. As much as she tried to focus on the work before her, Caroline’s mind kept drifting back to Dustin.
“Man she can hit hard” Dusty thinks to himself as he stock some shelves at work. It did go very well after the sister left ending with the usual annoying arm bar lock. While that was painful what strangely hurt more was the thought that he let Caroline down. After they cleaned Claudia’s house Grace gave her a gift certificate for the beauty salon managed by Sister Sophia, Brother Matthew’s first wife, though even as she handed it over Grace thought Claudia might need a house call from the salon. Claudia seemed to suffer an oppression of the spirit that sinful world called “depression”. That was the other danger of women who had no male authority to watch over them: they withered away and became mere husks. There was no answer at the old man’s house and the two of them were on their back to the Center when he stepped right in front of their path.
“So Dusty do like superman with or without the red underwear” Henry was one of their regular customer and perhaps the nerdiest of all “Haven’t really thought about” Dusty said as he rang him up fearing that eye contact would only encourage Henry to speak more Dusty looked out of the window. to his surprise he saw the sisters outside talking to a rather unpleasant looking old man
“Please excuse us, sir,” Grace said linking her arm with Caroline’s to step around him. “Ah, hell, no,” the old man said blocking their path again, “not until I’ve had my say.” Dusty saw the Man get closer, Too close for his comfort. The Man obviously Yelling at them. Caroline winced at the roughness of his language, but she was more alarmed by how red in the face he was getting. Given that he had to be at least thirty pounds overweight she doubted the stress of being so angry was good for his heart. “Hey, I’m talkin’ to you, ya little bitch!” he said grabbing her arm. But then another hand came out of nowhere and grabbed him. “Don’t touch her!” Dusty said Caroline felt a flutter of warmth in her chest as Dusty pulled the old man away from her. Further up the street she could see two Brothers approaching them.
As the the man struggle to get away Dusty was amazed how strong his grip was. The two brother got up next to the old man and grab hold of a arm “Thank you brother” one of them said to Dusty “We can take care of this gentleman from here” a look of fear came over the old mans face and he stop resisting. Dusty looked at the brother with there perfect comb hair and well tailor suit and only one word came to him “Strength”
Caroline blinked rapidly and took a handkerchief from her pocket. The whole encounter had been so upsetting. The sheer ugliness that had infected that poor old man was on an order of magnitude she’d never encountered before. Without pausing to think, her instincts took over and she found herself weeping into Dusty’s shoulder. As her the tear soak through Dusty Metallica Tshirt a strange thought pop into his head " I bet those suits the Brothers where wearing would absorb the tears better and be more comfortable for Caroline to lay her head on....Wait....What?” The moment had gotten the better of him and he didn’t know what to do. “Um...its ....um going to be .....okay” He said to her
His voice jarred her and she stepped back dabbing at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. It’s just, nothing like that has ever happened to me before. Thank you for intervening.” “Um...not a problem” Dusty replied, nothing like that had ever happen to him either. In is most quite moment Dusty always feared that he was a coward. But today he found a strength he never knew he had. “You showed the strength of Elazar” Grace said as she touch his shoulder this made Dusty heart skip a beat. He look over and saw the two brother take the old man away. “Were are they taking him” he ask “sadly he is to far gone for the velvet glove. He must be shown the Iron Hand” Grace said “the iron hand?” Dusty thinks to himself.
“I’m sorry the casserole wasn’t to your liking,” Caroline said focusing on the mundane to distract herself from how she felt. She’d been hoping Dustin would enjoy the meal she’d made him and last night she’d dreamed of serving it to him and Grace in the dining room of the Bishop’s House. “If you like, I could make you a meatloaf for this evening.” “Oh no....I’m sure it was fine....it well you see.....Freddy.......um .......Meatloaf would be great” Dusty said “Wait I hate meatloaf “he thinks to himself. Caroline smiled and it made her eyes light up like the summer sky. “Wonderful. What time would you like it to be ready?” “Um......9:00?”
Caroline smiled. “I’ll have it on your table by then,” she promised. She and Grace took their leave and reported their progress that morning to Uncle Simon and Aunt Ruth. They agreed with Grace that Claudia might benefit more from a housecall since she seemed unlikely to leave her house any time soon. “I feel bad that she’s all by herself,” Grace said. “Does she have any family in town?” “Alas, no,” Simon said. “From what I gather she’s been on the carnival ride of horrors that the sinful world calls the mental health system: in and out of hospitals, prescribed numerous medications, and of course none of them worked.” “You two are the best medicine she could have,” Ruth said. “You make a wonderful team.”
Later that evening as she prepared meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans with apple pie for dessert, Caroline reflected on her aunt’s words. Although their backgrounds couldn’t have been more different, Caroline had felt an instant kinship with Grace, more so than she felt even with her own sisters at times. Perhaps Heavenly Father... The oven beeped and Caroline turned down the temperature so that the apple pie she’d made would stay warm. She was dishing up the food when she heard the front door open.
As soon as he open the door Dusty could smell the meatloaf “Why did I agree to this?” He thinks to himself. He couldn’t figure why he so easy gave away the location of the spare key to his place. “Welcome home, Dustin,” Caroline said. She had to stop herself from going up to him and giving him a hug and a kiss the way her mothers greeted her father. “We thought perhaps you might like to listen to some Scripture instead of just reading it,” Grace added. “You can listen while you eat.”
“Um....sure” Dusty agreeable state was brought on by the sight of the two immaculately dressed sister standing next too his meal. A drastic contrast to what he came home too last night and while that was par for the course on any night with Freddy. This felt different this felt normal. Grace pressed Play on the mp3 player she’d brought over and Caroline poured him a glass of milk. “We’ll just leave you to it,” she said. “There’s pie warming in the oven for dessert.”
Dustin sat down and for a moment he wanted to call the two women back to join him. Then his attention was seized by the voice of the prophet: To the Daughters of Zion the Lord charges thee: Be not ashamed to seek support at the shoulders of your fathers and husbands. For I have made the shoulders of the Sons of Zion strong and firm, even as the mighty oak tree that they may be a haven for you through prosperity and adversity. Yet beware those who have fallen into sloth and gluttony and turn aside from My disciplines. They shall be too weak to be a support for you and you shall fall into error and sin.”
Two of Dusty primary sense had been completely taken over. Her sense taste by Sister Carolina delicious meatloaf and his sense hearing by the command of the prophet voice. As Brother David escorted them home Grace hoped the initial passage she’d chosen would resonate with Dustin. She’d yet to meet anyone who could resist the power in the prophet’s voice even in a recording.
They shall be too weak to be a support for you and you shall fall into error and sin.” It was the third time he had played it and Dusty didn’t know why. " His voice” Dusty thought thought to himself “it so.... so...... holy..... no....... righteous..... no...... commanding.... yes.... strong... yes.... holy.... yes.... righteous... yes..... the voice of the one true pro......No!” Dusty momentary snap out of the blissful trance the prophet voice had put him. But no sooner did he regain his sense of hearing his sense of sight betrayed himself. For in his minds eye appeared the prophet. Dusty was in awe of the man his pinstripe suit rested comfortably on his STRONG shoulders. Shoulder of a Son of Zion,Dusti .....Dusty readjust his posture so his shoulder no longer slouch and pressed play.
As the prophet’s words washed over him again he found himself recalling the events of this afternoon when Caroline had wept on his shoulder, only this time he was wearing a proper suit. His arms came around her locking her in the protection of his embrace. He would let no harm come to this precious Daughter of Zion.