Objects of Worship Read Free

for making this, babe.”
    Sara stuffs herself like an enthusiastic child, grinning
at Rose the whole time.
    The god settles on the table. Together, the two women
offer it an entire pancake, with banana and apple slices on
top. The god consumes the tribute. The god hums.
    Sara chokes.
    Rose pats her on the back, and Sara coughs, clearing her
throat.
    “I’ve never heard the god sing like that after receiving
tribute. Wow. It must love your pancakes.”
    “Maybe.” Rose can’t keep the hint of something more
out of her voice.
    Sara looks at Rose quizzically. “What aren’t you telling
me?”
    Biting her lower lip and keeping her eyes focused on the
god, Rose says, “I’m pregnant.”
    Sara skips a few beats. Then, “When . . . ?”
    Rose turns toward Sara. “This morning. At dawn. The
god . . . it stayed out all night with the other neighbourhood
gods. Singing. And something else. Dancing, maybe?”
    Sara says, tersely, “They must’ve been saying goodbye to
the god who’s moving away. But whatever.”
    “Oh. That makes sense. Anyway, when it returned.
It — ”
    “The god made you pregnant.”
    “Yes.”
    “You.”
    “Yes! I’m blessed! What will we call her?”
    Sara looks away.
    Rose gets up from her seat and hugs Sara. “I’m sorry,
love. I’m sorry it wasn’t you. I know I should’ve woken you,
so you could be with me and pray to the god . . . but it was so
sudden. So fast.” She runs her fingers through Sara’s hair.
“Aren’t you happy for me? For us?”
    “Yeah . . . sure. It’s just so . . . unexpected. I wasn’t
thinking about children at all. Not yet, at least. It’s just
kind of a shock. That’s all.”
    Sara skips a few more beats, but in her silence she strokes
Rose’s arms.
    Then, “Of course I’m happy, Rose. It’s going to be great
having a baby. Plus, with your looks, our daughter’s gonna
be cute as a button.”
    The god wedges itself between the two women, settling
against Rose’s belly, enveloping the family in a cocoon of
divine warmth.
    The moon is nearly full, the starry sky cloudless. The night
air is a bit chilly; Rose and Sara are cuddled under a thick
red quilt, pressed against each other and holding hands.
They’re waiting for the gods to come out.
    The new neighbour moved in earlier today, but neither
Rose nor Sara has seen her. After dinner, Sara told Rose
that, their first night, new gods are always welcomed by the
resident gods. Sometimes, new gods will vie for dominance,
especially rural gods, unused to the proximity of other
gods. It never unfolds quite the same way, and it can be
quite a spectacle.
    So here they are on the back porch. Waiting. They wave
at their neighbours. Everyone is out tonight, to witness the
welcoming of the new god.
    Time passes, and nothing happens.
    Rose asks, “Does it usually take this long?”
    “No. But let’s wait for it. It’s worth it.” Sara kisses Rose, and they neck. Waiting for the gods.
    Rose is woken by Sara’s snoring. Dawn is breaking. “Shit.
I missed it.”
    Tabitha, their upstairs neighbour, yells down: “You
didn’t miss anything. The gods didn’t come out. I’m gonna
need so much coffee today.” Tabitha stomps back inside and
slams her back door shut.
    Maddie called in sick at the last minute. Rose, unable to
find a replacement, is stuck working the evening shift at
the video shop. She calls home, to apologize. She’s surprised
that Sara doesn’t pick up. She leaves a voicemail message.
    It’s a slow night. Petra and Ashley would have been able
to handle it. The rules insist on a minimum staff of three,
though, and Rose could lose her job if she left early and
management found out. Ashley would probably rat her out;
and she might get Rose’s position if she did. It’s not worth
the risk, especially with a baby on the way.
    At eight o’clock, while Petra and Ashley are taking a
cigarette break out back, Sara walks into the store. Rose
perks up. “Hey, you came by! Thanks.”
    Sara’s