“Sophie, remember to keep the cripples and the retards in the back this time, for Christ’s sake! You know I can’t do shit for them. We don’t want another incident like in Terlingua last week. That old bastard cost me 75 bucks to reset his nose and another 50 to keep it out of the paper. Naldo, you’re in charge of the temps. Get some to clean up, some collecting donations, and some selling lemonade. If you see any stealing, I want them removed immediately. I want their names, where they live. We’re making dreams come true here, people! Big smiles. Folks are going to start arriving soon. Lets be ready this time. Sophie, cue the choir just before I come on. I want them singing. This is a revival damnit!”
When the Reverend Brother Buddy Kind spoke, people listened. His indisputable charisma and natural good looks made women melt and men take notice. He was a slim 6 foot 3 with a strong build, perfectly white smile, and piercing blue eyes. Not a single blonde hair was out of place. He kept it combed back to prevent any distraction from his sculpted face. He spoke with a thick East Texas drawl that dripped from his lips like honey. Buddy Kind could charm the skin off arattlesnake.
Naldo Ortiz was Buddy’s right hand man, and not just because his left hand was mangled in a hay baler six years ago at the age of 14, leaving him with a withered claw. When Buddy found him, he was peso-less; unable to find steady work because of his disfigurement, and living on the streets of Juárez. Naldo always thought of Buddy as his savior and his Savior. Naldo was the only person Buddy truly trusted. He was the biggest Mexican he had ever seen. Naldo was best suited for security, but he was willing to take on anything Buddy required ofhim.
It was about an hour until showtime and Buddy retreated to his dressing room in the back of one of the two construction trailers behind the tent. Sophie greeted the guests that were trickling in. She had them fill out prayer cards and meticulously took note of where she sat them, marking their seat numbers at the top of the card. She would make sure Buddy was privy to this information prior to cueing the choir. Everything was in place and goingsmoothly.
Buddy relished the time he spent alone
