Surprise-Free Endstate
Rare Earth Elements
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Ranell lifted trembling fingers to his neck to feel the erratic pulse rushing through his carotid artery. His heart was still racing. I can’t catch my breath.
“Josef?” The quiet question came from Monsignor Raphael Mendoza, Ranell’s friend, and confessor, from Our Lady of Refuge. “What’s going on? Why did you ask to meet me here?” Mendoza placed a comforting hand on Ranell’s shoulder.
Ranell felt out of sync with the beautiful setting. He’d chosen this spot to help himself calm down. It’s not working, he thought as he watched the water tumble merrily down the face of the exquisite waterfall accenting the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden on the campus of California State University. Ornate wooden bridges were set harmoniously around a gently rippling koi pond.
“I had to get out of the office and talk to somebody, Father.” In social settings Ranell typically addressed his friend as Monsignor. His use now of the priestly honorific was an instinctive reflex brought on by his intense sense of spiritual turmoil.
“You look like you’re about to fall over,” Mendoza said softly. “Please, let’s sit down and talk.”
Ranell glanced furtively at a set of stone steps, but there wasn’t really any good place to sit. He burned with restless energy. “Can we just walk?”
"Of course. Of course." Together the two men began to follow the trail past the Zen Garden. "I've never seen you so upset, Josef. What's wrong?"
Ranell tried to answer, but a sob caught in his throat. He walked on in silence while he tried to master his emotions.
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