RAFFERTY'S MONDAY
LEAPING TO CONCLUSIONS

As Rafferty comes into the church to begin the Sunday Eucharist he notices an unfamiliar back of an unfamiliar head in one of the pews. From the altar, looking into the congregation, he registers the face as unfamiliar too. One he doesn't know at all. A later glance has him thinking, 'He looks very devout!', but soon it's, 'He looks too devout for it to be healthy!'

During the sermon, as Rafferty makes eye contact from time to time with people here & there among the congregation, it's clear that Bill - let's call him that - doesn't make eye contact, isn't even listening, as he's thought at first, maybe praying after a fashion, muttering under his breath, shaking with emotion of some kind in the process. It doesn't look like healthy religion from where Rafferty's looking, even if he can't actually hear Bill. When it comes time, Bill receives Communion, though still praying, muttering, whatever. But when Rafferty looks for him after the service, it's to find he's left straight away, and is nowhere to be seen. Rafferty wonders about Bill most of the rest of the day.

That night, long after the usual time for callers, there comes a knock at the Rectory door. When Rafferty opens it, there is Bill. Without waiting for an invitation, he comes straight inside, and into the Study. A man on a mission. Bill has come to put Rafferty right. Through a strange, mainly one-sided inquisition; it becomes clear that what Bill thinks he's heard at this morning's service has convinced him Rafferty needs help. Bill has been sent to give that help. To restore one fallen from grace, an agent of the devil, by urging him to repent and change his ways! Rafferty knows he has no chance of avoiding being burned at Bill's stake unless he mends his theological understandings! Now!

Bill continues to put Rafferty through this odd, rambling, catechism until Rafferty has had enough! Seen and heard and had enough to recognize Bill doesn't just have strange theological views, but is clearly mentally ill, and that he, Rafferty, needs to take some charge of this situation. Gently but firmly he steers the so far virtually one-sided conversation in which he's been mostly listening, trying to take some bearings, around to a suggestion that Bill may need some help with the way he's seeing things. Eventually he asks Bill if he'd be prepared to come to the local hospital if Rafferty comes with him so that together they can see someone about getting him any help he may need. Nothing doing! Bill gets up to go. Even in his disturbed state of mind he can see he's getting nowhere. Still trying quietly to persuade him that help is at hand, Rafferty stands up too. They are hardly both standing, about a metre apart, when suddenly, without any warning, Bill roars like a lion, and leaps. Throws himself through the air straight at Rafferty.

Rafferty's been in some difficult situations in his time, but nothing like this. In the split second Bill is hurtling through the air, he doesn't even have time to defend himself, though looking back he thinks he may have been mentally crying 'Help!', as good a prayer as any in desperate situations! But he isn't sure. When Bill's split-second projectile-like flight ends, Rafferty is shocked again, this time to realise he's unharmed. There is Bill, standing literally toe touching toe with him, looking him right in the face, breathing shallowly, excitedly. But there is no more roaring. No other movement at all.

In this next split second Rafferty sees Bill has carefully, exactly, calculated his leap needed to bring him toe touching toe and nothing beyond that. And he understands Bill has no intention of harming him. That he is simply demonstrating something. Dramatically! Suddenly, Rafferty has a revelation - nothing less - that what Bill has been doing is re-enacting a popular theme from the Older Testament. One of stories and threats concerning allegedly false prophets being eaten by lions! Except that in his vivid re-enactment, Bill, in the role of lion, has roared, and leapt, but the leap has been choreographed so that Rafferty in his role of false prophet has been confronted, but not hurt. The prey is stunned, warned, but not injured.in any way.

Seconds later, without a word from either of them, Bill removes his face from Rafferty's, turns his back on him, and without another glance strides to the door, lets himself out, and vanishes into the night. Unfreezing gradually, Rafferty is inclined to follow Bill and try again to persuade him to accept help, though he knows that's not at all likely. Should he call the mental health emergency service to alert them in case Bill could actually be a danger to someone else? In the end, apart from a belated Thanks be to God for his safety, Rafferty decides to do nothing. It's all too hard.

Rafferty never sees or hears of Bill again, but for some time lives a mix of gratitude that nothing worse happened, relief that Bill has moved on, and regret that he didn't pursue help for him from health professionals who just may have been able to help.

RAFFERTY'S MONDAY
O My Wife, My Poor Poor Wife and Children

It is late afternoon, on a Saturday, that he comes to the front door. Rafferty opens it to find a small man, rather grubby & definitely smelly, holding a largish bundle wrapped in newspapers. He puts the bundle down as Rafferty appears. "Father, I need help." Not an unusual opening. "What's the trouble?" Rafferty asks? "Father, I've just got a lift back from up north. Our car was in an accident earlier today and my wife & our three kiddies have all been killed. This (he points to the parcel) is all their clothes and things. It's all I've got left. Can you help me with some money? I need to get straight back up there to do what has to be done?" "Well," says Rafferty, not sure of 'what needs to be done'. "That's a terrible thing to have happen. I'm very sorry to hear it. I'm very sorry for your wife and children, & for you, of course." But at a gut level, suspicion, onus of proof sort of thing, kicks in as it sometimes does when unknown people present at the door asking for money. Not least in a situation as bad as has been recounted.

"Come in and tell me all about it" Rafferty invites his visitor. Apart from a liberal sprinkling of gore, the story isn't really clear. Not even where it actually happened. Or which hospital is involved. Doubt seeps still further into Father's mind. Far be it from him to turn away someone in such a predicament. But what exactly has taken place, if anything? As if reading Rafferty's face, if not his mind, his caller says, "You can call the police at ............and ask them. They'll tell you all about it". Rafferty decides the only real option open to him is to call his bluff. "That's a good idea. Why don't we?" He seats his visitor in the entrance area adjacent to the Study, while he himself goes to the phone. There he dials his local police and explains his predicament. The policeman who takes his call is sympathetic to Rafferty's dilemma, and says he'll check the file straight away for any record of an accident in the district indicated by Raff's visitor. "Hold on a minute!" Then, "Well, father, I can't believe there could have been an accident like that without it being put on the network straight away. But let me just check our central control." After just a few momentshe comes back on the line "No, Father; it's not on! " "No, it's not", thinks Rafferty as he thanks the helpful officer, and begins to move back to his visitor in the waiting area. As he does, he senses movement. True enough. The visitor has managed to overhear Father's end of his conversation with the police, deduced from its tone that all is not well, and decided to get out while the going's good! Unfortunately for him, he mistakes a full length window beside the door for the door itself, and just saves himself from hurtling out through the glass in a real accident this time. He almost bounces off the long, closed window barring his way, then quickly locates the door, and makes good his escape, running down the drive as fast as his legs will carry him. His poor, poor 'wife's and kiddies' clothes' are left in their newspaper bundle which on quick inspection proves to be just that; a bundle of old newspapers!

Rafferty is indignant and then furious! He dives into his car, backs down the drive, into the street, and heads in the direction he's glimpsed his visitor heading. He drives slowly round streets he knows pretty well, looking for his quarry, the while calming a little at the thought of his own, or his own poor, poor wife's or his children's clothes ending up in a paper wrapped bundle such as he's just been bequeathed. It takes a while, and a few streets, but at last he locates his visitor, heading back towards the city centre, still not wasting any time. Rafferty pulls the car up right by the footpath just ahead of the so recently 'bereaved', who is taken aback, to say the least, by this visitation in reverse. Rafferty stomps out. Then, calmer by now, not sure whether to laugh or cry, but managing to keep a straight face, he gives the man a dressing down, assuring him that if he ever hears of him "trying that one on again", he will personally march him to the nearest cop shop and give him in charge. Then he hands over a fiver, with an "On your way, and keep going! Don't let me ever see you back on my patch again!" "Yes, father; No father; Yes father" the quarry flings over his shoulder as he beats it!

Later, Rafferty has the grace to be at least a little ashamed of the poor way he's handled this situation, and in his prayers that night, finds himself thinking aloud to God about which one of them needs forgiveness more: the little man for 'trying it on', or himself for being so uncharitable as not to believe him! All he gets in response is what sounds like a cross (!) between a snort, a chuckle, a growl, and, of all things, a sniff.