Twisting Topeka (8 page)

She turned her attention
back to His words:

“Temples are the symbols
of the divine uniting force so that when the people gather there in
the House of God they may recall the fact that the law has been
revealed for them and that the law is to unite them. They will
realize that just as this temple was founded for the unification of
mankind, the law preceding and creating it came forth in the
manifest Word. Jesus Christ, addressing Peter, said, ‘Thou art
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.’ This utterance
was indicative of the faith of Peter, signifying: This faith of
thine, O Peter, is the very cause and message of unity to the
nations; it shall be the bond of union between the hearts of men
and the foundation of the oneness of the world of humanity. In
brief, the original purpose of temples and houses of worship is
simply that of unity…

“For thousands of years
the human race has been at war. It is enough…”

The next morning as many
as possible journeyed to the temple site in Wilmette, north of
Chicago. Mrs. Frey decided not to go because the weather was windy,
cold and damp. Felicity and Elsbeth bundled up and set forth. They
rode streetcars but had to walk the last several blocks; it was
past the end of the line. But they weren’t alone. The car was
crowded to the end and all got off and walked and talked
together.

A large tent had been
erected as protection from the weather, but the wind coming
directly off the lake was sharp. Though the program was to start at
“noon” there was some delay. The stone to be used could not be
found. Eventually it was located in some weeds and recognized. It
did not look like a cornerstone – it was a broken stone that
someone had brought from a construction site. Felicity overheard
the woman who brought it describe how she had asked the builder for
a stone and he let her pick one from a pile of rejects. Then she
struggled, with the assistance of an elderly man, to convey it
here. The streetcar operator did not want it on his car, but
eventually let them rest it outside, on the bumper. At the end of
the line they borrowed a child’s wagon, but it soon broke. Someone
else, later, had to bring the stone the rest of the way. She
marveled that she had been able to get it here at all. She had no
money to give.

As Felicity listened, she
thought of the verse in the Gospel of Luke, “The stone which the
builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner.” She
was amazed at how fully the verse had become true.

Finally they were to
begin. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed the crowd:

“
The power which has
gathered you here today notwithstanding the cold and windy weather
is, indeed, mighty and wonderful. It is the power of God, the
divine favor of Bahá’u’lláh which has drawn you together. We praise
God that through His constraining love human souls are assembled
and associated in this way.

“
The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in
Ishqabad is almost completed. It is centrally located, nine avenues
leading into it, nine gardens, nine fountains; all the arrangement
and construction is according to the principle and proportion of
the number nine. It is like a beautiful bouquet.

“
Imagine a very lofty,
imposing edifice surrounded completely by gardens of variegated
flowers, with nine avenues leading through them, nine fountains and
pools of water. Such is its matchless, beautiful design. Now they
are building a hospital, a school for orphans, a home for cripples,
a hospice and a large dispensary. God willing, when it is fully
completed, it will be a paradise.

“
I hope the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in Chicago will be like this…”

Then, He proceeded to turn the first
dirt. After that He called various people representing different
backgrounds, to also turn some dirt so that as much of the human
race as possible could be represented, at least in
spirit.

After the ceremony, people lingered
and eventually drifted back to the streetcar line to return to
Chicago. On their return the younger two informed Mrs. Frey of all
they had experienced so vividly that she felt she had been there
too.

“
Photographs were taken,”
Elsbeth added. “And, I think I’m in one of them, with this new
hat.” She patted its wide brim.

Felicity and the Freys left Chicago
the next day.

Back in Topeka, Felicity
pondered what to do. She would never forget the moments she had had
with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His hotel suite that one evening. It was
brief, and the room was crowded, but those moments were engraved on
her heart. She had never felt so much love from anyone, not even
her parents, husband or children, as she experience then. It was
not a brief emotion, it was a solid thing—more “real” than the
everyday world of cars and houses. It was as if a window to a
deeper, truer reality had opened briefly. It had been too
brief.
If this is
Heaven
, Felicity
thought
, then I’m ready.

She now realized how important these
teachings were to her and she wanted to share them. She was
dismayed that she had so done nothing in support of her beliefs.
Now she was energized and wanted to do something, but wasn’t sure
what. She wanted to tell everyone in the city, but how?

Among other things, she had brought
back a pamphlet about Bahá’u’lláh and Christ. The connections were
amazing and implausible, but in her heart, she felt they were true.
The experience of seeing so many other Bahá’ís, from so many
different backgrounds and colors, confirmed for her that there was
a power in this Message that could unite people. It was not just
words. Here was concrete proof!

She remembered the newspaper article
in the hotel. Everyone read newspapers; many people in Topeka took
both the morning and evening papers. Aside from gossip, the
newspapers were the only source of news. Newspapers were the
key.

One night she had a dream
in which people were opening newspapers all across town. When
Felicity woke up, she knew what she could do. It would take a
little money, but she had some saved for a special occasion.
This
was a special
occasion.

After breakfast, she went
to the offices of both the
Capital
and the
Journal
and told the advertising clerks what she wanted
to do. When they gasped in surprise, she knew it would get the
attention of others too. It was the right thing to do.

Two days later, she opened
the
The Capital
,
as she knew thousands of others in Topeka were doing, and saw the
words she had planned. Some readers gasped in surprise, ‘How can
anyone make such a claim?’ ‘Blasphemy,’ many others muttered. Not a
few went so far as to think or exclaim, ‘Anti-Christ!’ More than
one sermon for the next Sunday was hastily revised to warn innocent
flocks to beware of this heresy. Such a claim was surely not less
than that. The words were in a large display ad in the center of
the top half of the page:

CHRIST HAS RISEN AND
RETURNED

with the new name, as
promised:

Baha-u-llah

The Glory of God—Revelations
3:12

Cleansing
Waters

C.R. Kennedy

Purple, yellow, and white blooming
bulbs—mostly iris and daffodils—accented the rock garden like
seashells on a beach. After two days alone in the car, Melanie was
quite happy she’d abandoned her spring break vacation and exchanged
the seashells on Galveston Island, Texas, for the flowers in her
hometown at Gage Park. Beau, her fluffy, white Bichon, led her
along the paths and stopped to sniff flowers, tree roots, and
random insects. It neared sunset, and the unseasonable warmth of
the day convinced Melanie a mosquito was teasing her calf just
below the bottom hem of her dress. She turned around to swat it
away, and Beau yanked hard on his leash. She allowed the dog to
pull her, continuing to shoo the insect until an unpleasant odor
struck her. Melanie snapped her head around and discovered her dog
brushing against worn, brown work boots. The man wearing them sat
on a wooden bench with his face buried in his hands, and Melanie
gazed at the top of his unraveling straw hat.

“
Oh…pardon my dog,” she
said.

“
Animals don’t bother me,”
he replied.

Beau indulged himself in the dusty
leather of the boots, their barnyard scent apparently a delight to
him. Despite Melanie’s tugs, the dog sprawled his short, white body
on the top of the boots. The man reached down and sank his fingers
into Beau’s curly white fur. Man and beast seemed in need of each
other, so Melanie sat to the man’s left, noting the last glimmers
of sunlight sparkling across the pond.

“
Don’t you love this
garden?” she said. “They created it the same year I started as a
freshman at the new high school building, back in 1931.” She sat
back and analyzed how the garden had matured. “I can’t believe that
was nine years ago. My two favorite places in Topeka—the rock
garden and Topeka High—both finished in the same year. I’d never
considered it.” He didn’t respond, but remained slumped over, his
fingers woven in Beau’s fur while the dog appeared quite content.
Melanie continued:  ”What’s
your
favorite place in
Topeka?”

“
I live in the country,” he
said after a long silence. “But I guess it would be the grain
elevator.”

An unusual response she thought. “I
assume you’re a farmer.”

“
I won’t be for much
longer,” he replied, choking on the last word. “I have to sell the
farm.”

“
Why?”

“
My fiancée is very ill.
The last few years have been difficult for her—her father passed
away. Then her mother got influenza during the winter
and…Loraine…she...” He shook his head but never revealed his face.
“She would never let me help her. Her mother died and Loraine
blamed herself. She…she…well, she’s in the hospital on the hill.”
He nodded to the north, and Melanie knew exactly what he was
referring to.

“
She’ll get excellent care
there. I promise.”

“
Expensive care,” he
added.

“
Yes.” She knew dinner at
her parent’s house would be served at eight o’clock sharp, but
walking away from this man and his pain seemed heartless. “What’s
your name?”

“
Reginald.”

“
It’s nice to meet you. I’m
Melanie.” His face remained hidden, but a bit of black hair
protruded under the bottom of his straw hat. “I’m a graduate
student at Kansas University,” she said. “It’s spring break week,
and I had planned to spend it at the Gulf of Mexico with my
sorority sisters, but after a few days I was bored. Perhaps I’m too
grown-up for that sort of thing now.” No response from the man. “So
I came back early. Maybe for the company of adults.”

Reginald let go of Beau and slapped
that hand over his face, loud sobs causing Melanie to regret her
words. “This pond is so pretty,” she said quickly, hoping to plant
happier thoughts in his head. “But all the years I’ve been coming
here with my family and Beau, I’ve never left without having this
one thought.” She pointed to the clearing. “I’d like to see a water
fountain in that spot. European. Romantic. Poseidon, the Greek God
of the sea, standing tall in the center of a pool, with water
shooting straight up in the air from the tips of his trident. And
off to the side of the pool,” she motioned, “I imagine Pegasus
playfully splashing in the water.” Melanie sighed, looking up to
the heavens. It was going to be a wonderful night. Even though her
mother was on the east coast visiting her grandmother, Melanie was
so looking forward to time with her father. She’d have a quiet
dinner with him, maybe a few games of cards, then she’d sleep in
her own bed with Beau snoozing by her feet.

Reginald stood up but still kept his
head twisted away from her. Beau jumped on her lap nuzzling his
face into her dress. “An awful waste of money if I ever heard one,”
Reginald said. “I apologize for being bad company. Good night,
ma’am.”

He walked down the path, then down the
road. Melanie didn’t move an inch until he was out of sight. She
allowed her back to relax, enjoying the sunset for twenty minutes
or so, imagining evening sunrays sparkling across the splashing
water of her imaginary fountain.

Before she’d even closed the front
door behind her, Beau leapt from her arm and ran up the stairs.
This was unexpected, as he normally headed straight for his water
dish in the kitchen. A wonderful smell caught her attention, and
she moved quickly through the dining room and into the kitchen, but
Mrs. Lewis wasn’t there. Opening the oven door revealed rosemary
chicken, a longstanding special occasion dinner. She strolled
through the house and was almost to her bedroom at the top of the
stairs when Mrs. Lewis popped out from behind the hall wardrobe
door. She rushed toward Melanie with a stack of sheets and towels
but went right on by her and into Melanie’s bedroom.

“
Are you okay, Mrs.
Lewis?”

“
No child.” She threw the
stack of linens on the upholstered chair next to the bed. “Next
time you decide to come home for dinner please give us more warning
than a note on the kitchen counter.”