Ch. 13: The Walk to Supper

Ishmael had returned to the Rachel, talked with Bob about Leilani's invitation, and was rather surprised that Bob had agreed to go with him that evening without any sort of demur. As they walked the length of the dock and crossed over to her house, Ishmael said, "You know, Bob, you surprised me that you would go to Leilani's with me tonight."

"Why is that, Ishmael?"

"Well, you obviously know what her trade is and how she lives her life. I would think you would not want to be associated with such a person."

"I'm not the only carpenter who would visit the home of people that were looked down upon by society. When you think of it, we sailors do not have the highest of reputations among 'polite society' shall we call them?" He smiled in a way that disarmed Ishmael, did a bit of bonding with him, and perhaps diffused some of his preconceived notions about how Saint Bob should act. "Oh, I realize I'm known as 'Saint Bob' these days, but I was not always of the same mind as I am now. Sometimes I feel I have a lot in common with Paul the Tarsus tent maker, including how I turned from being vehemently against Christians of any sort to being one who just as vehemently pursues Truth and walks in paths that most folks would not attribute to a ship's carpenter."

"I must say," Pappy said while removing his cap and scratching his head, "that you and those ravens that were on the docks this morning are quite different in your way of presenting yourselves and how you make people around you feel."

"How's that?" said Bob with a slight twist of his head to prompt more from Ishmael than he might normally volunteer.

"They seem to relish making people feel guilty and to be full of gloom and doom, where you seem to take folks as you find them without condemning all the time."

"But do I back down from what I believe? That's what I want to know."

"No...you know what you believe, know how to make your point, but don't seem to be as judgmental as those missionaries. It's almost as though you can tell me I'm going to Hell without my being offended by it!"

Bob chuckled, then said, "Is that what you think I'm telling you, based on our past conversations?"

"Well, you haven't said it in so many words, but you get to jabbing parts of me that I thought were not touchable ever since I was much younger and had to go to church and sit through some of the worst hours of my life...or so it seemed back then."

"So you'd say you've had religion 'thumped' into you, is that it?"

"I'd say it was more like being a whale who's been stabbed by incompetent harpooners and mates with sharp implements that don't strike the right spots or pull out once the whale runs. Maybe that's why I almost felt a kinship with Moby Dick even as I was being used to try to bring about his death...his 'conversion,' to put it in religious terms, from wild creature of the deep to boiled oil for New England lamps!"

"Interesting analogy, Ishmael. It reminds me of the part in the Book of Acts where Saul is 'kicking against the pricks' that eventually led him to be a zealous Christian who faced all sorts of problems in his life, including ship wreck a few times."

"Is that why you think you have something in common with him?"

"Yes, I guess so. Well, here we are at Leilani's, so we should look to the lady first of all. You lead the way, since I'm the guest."