Nikki White

“We will see you soon! Is your church ready to receive the team from North Langley Community Church? Do you need anything?” “¿Sería posible…?” The Skype connection between Vancouver and Mexico was lagging, but this hesitation was more than just a network glitch. Pastor Carlos clearly wished to say something, but seemed reluctant. “Is possible that you come antes, before?”

A driving quarter beat on the kick and a solid bass line were hard to resist. I cast a sideways glance at my staid and suited companion, and saw the…

The furrowed brow added intensity to his words: “I sense…I feel…there’s someone here who needs to confess. You’re stressed and anxious, your stomach is in knots, and there’s pain…great pain.…

It was our third cup of tea, and we had yet to converse. Hair awry, a note of hysteria creeping into her carefully modulated voce materno, my young friend was fending off another attack from her preschool-age twins, whom I privately referred to as “Search” and “Destroy.”