Twisted Cross

“The time has come, we’ve got to face the Bishop,” he said. He flicked his leather strap on the oxen’s back and gave Blas a weak smile.

“This could be a good time for one of your old songs, Blas,” Brother David said. It took them an hour to cross to the Mission grounds. Not in the mood to sing, they rode in silence. Once inside the Mission grounds, Brother David put a plan into action.

“F-first, you two collect three deep bags from the weaver’s shop,” Brother David said. He counted out the steps of his plan on his fingers. “Then, get a small tooled b-box from the carpenters.” As soon as they heard Brother David begin to stutter, Sal and Blas knew he felt nervous. Yet, he didn’t seem to be surprised by this request from the Bishop. He already considered what to do. “Meet me back at our forge. Get the finest pieces of our metalwork and prepare them as gifts for the Bishop.” It sounded to Sal like they were preparing bribes, not gifts, for the Bishop.

 Blas, excited to see the Bishop, waved his hands as he talked. “Let’s take the sundial, the silver goblet and a pair of candlesticks from our finishing table,” he said. Blas worked fast, buffed, and polished each item then wrapped them in the cloth bags with great care. Sal noticed Brother David reach for the tooled wooden box and turn his back away. Blas kept wrapping and chattering.

“Your Mamà saw a vision,” Blas said. “God has saved us for this work, Sal.” He made the sign of the cross, as Brother David did so often.