The day came for Jackson to move into Sophia’s house. Jackson had only been to Sophia’s house a few times; he normally met up with Sophia and Noah somewhere else. Sophia’s family was not as well-off as Jackson’s. They lived in a lower-income neighborhood. As Jackson approached Sophia’s street, he noticed more minorities than he normally saw in his area. Jackson hoped there was no Christians in this neighborhood, although this was definitely the kind of place he expected to find some.
“At least there’s no church nearby,” Jackson thought to himself.
In most people’s minds, including Jackson’s, a church was a symbol of hatred and darkness. Churches were filled with Christians. Christians were racist, sexist, legalistic, homophobes. Christians thought they were better than everyone else. Christians supported absolute morality. Christians were always telling people they were wrong. Christians didn’t fit in. In was not uncommon for churches to be burned down, and for the fire department to avoid helping put out the fire. Also, due to the 2022 Anti-Hate Speech Act, Christians could be arrested for almost anything they said.
The only “Christians” who weren’t hated were those who conformed to the social standards. They normally didn’t call themselves “Christian”, however, because it was associated with such negative traits. They called themselves “God-People”. They didn’t attend a church, they attended a “People’s Place.”
Jackson pulled up to Sophia’s house and knocked on the door. He was greeted by the smiling face of Mrs. Elizabeth Long, Sophia’s mother. She spoke quickly, without giving Jackson a chance to respond.
“Hi Jackson. It’s so good to see you again! We’re so sorry about your parents. How are you doing? You’ve gotten so big since the last time I saw you! Are you eating all right?”
Mrs. Long was a short woman with a slender build. She had emerald green eyes and short blonde hair.
Jackson had always liked Mrs. Long. She was caring and always knew what to do when something happened.
“I’m doing alright. Thank you for letting me stay in your home Mrs. Long.”
“It’s our pleasure to help you. I can’t even begin to understand what you must be going through right now. Well stop standing out there and come in. Mr. Long will help you with your stuff. You’re just in time for dinner.”
“Howard! Get over here and help Jackson with his stuff!” Mrs. Long added as Jackson stepped inside.
A bearded man appeared from the nearby hallway. He had brown hair the same color as Sophia’s.
“Hi Jackson. It’s good to see you again,” Mr. Long said as he passed Jackson on his way to the door.
Jackson began to take in his surroundings. He was in a cozy living room. To his right was a hallway that Jackson knew contained three bedrooms. One for Mr. and Mrs. Long, one for Sophia, and one for Sophia’s younger brother Trenton. Straight ahead was a doorway which lead to the Long’s tiny kitchen, and Jackson knew that the dinning room was right next to it. Jackson walked into the kitchen and saw Sophia shuffling bowls onto the dining table. Their eyes met.
“Hey Jax,” Sophia said calmly.
“Hey.”
“How was your job interview?”
“It didn’t go very well. I don’t think I’ll get hired.”
“That’s too bad. That would have been the perfect opportunity for you.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jackson said with a sigh.
There was a brief period of awkward silence. Finally, Sophia broke the silence.
“I hope you like tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Jackson smiled. That was one of his favorite dishes.
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Good. My mom and I wanted to make some soup before it starts to warm up again.”
Mr. and Mrs. Long walked in together. Everyone sat down at the table. This was uncommon for Jackson. He was used to eating his meals separately from his family because they had such irregular schedules. Mr. Long started talking about his day. He was a teacher at the local elementary school. Each family member talked about the events of their day as they ate. Jackson was glad that no one addressed him; seeing this family made him miss his even more.
After dinner, Jackson helped Sophia clean up. They didn’t talk much. Jackson was still feeling down about his job interview. Afterwards, Jackson sat down at the table to do his homework. He had decided that since he couldn’t find a job yet, he should at least make sure he graduated. There was a lot of work that Jackson had missed, but most of his teachers were very forgiving with him. They knew that he had lost his parents and helped him in any way they could.
Mr. Evans was the exception. Indeed, it seemed like he was grading Jackson with even more severity than before. Jackson didn’t understand why Mr. Evans was being so cruel.
“He must truly hate me,” Jackson said to himself as he sat down to begin his philosophy homework.
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