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“I don’t know, Father.”
“True forgiveness is never easy,” Father O’Malley continues. “It takes time and prayer, but it’s a journey worth taking, for inforgiveness, we find true healing. What’s the value of you saying that you already dealt with the pain when just seeing him evokes such pain in your heart?
“Have you dealt with your loss or just blocked it? I don’t know the family personally, but I live in this town, and in my line of work, I hear a lot of things about a lot of things. All I can offer you now, dear child, is this . . . forgive. Forgiving Liam would bring you peace and allow you to move on.
Even as you hurt, remember this. Only you are hurting. I can’t say I know for sure, but it is possible the Dexters are not hurting half as much, and your holding on will not bring your dad back. Liam has already paid his dues to society. It looks to me that holding on to this tragedy only hurts you. I know I shouldn’t be saying this to you, but I will . . . may God help me, for I’m about to sin.”
“Within the hallowed sanctity of the confessional, secrets are shared, and burdens lifted. I cannot breach that sacred trust, but I've heard whispers that may cast a different light on events. Sometimes, forgiveness is not just a gift to others but a balm for our own wounds. Take solace, my child, and consider the possibility that the truth you seek may lie beyond the shadows that haunt you."
I spend a few more minutes with Father O’Malley, praying for my tortured soul and my mother, then leave the church wondering. What the heck did Father O’Malley mean? Did someone confess something to him? Something pertinent to this case with Liam?
Is that why he spent a million dollars just to get me alone, only he got the four of us, and so he went back with whatever cost him a million dollars to say?
There must be answers to all my questions, but I am asking them in my head, and no one is answering them.
Chapter seven
REPARATIONS.
LIAM
The African Situation Room is all set up, and I am ready to start on ‘The Sundown Project.’ The room is ready, and I am heartily greeted by the expectant faces of my team, led by Martin Copperfield and a group of highly acclaimed engineers and project managers.
The best is yet to come, I know, but right now, the welcome aroma of fresh coffee is calming, and the sound of these excited voices that surround me a symphony of anticipation. I take a deep breath, feeling excitement tingle my senses. This is a Goliath of a project. Africa is about 12 million square miles in all. Did I even think this thing through? Have I bitten more than I can chew?
“Good morning, everyone,” I say, forcing a smile to drown my panic. “Let’s get started.”
As I present my ambitious plan to bring solar energy to rural Africa, I allow myself one more time to reminisce about thatfateful day in the playground when I was 12 years old. That school bully had no idea the fire he ignited within me. I’m determined to make amends for my family’s past, even if it’s just a small step toward reparations.
“Alright,” I say, pointing at the blueprint spread across the table. “The goal is to install solar-powered panels for lighting and maybe cooking in each home, starting in this region here,” I tap the region, somewhere in South Africa, with my finger. “We’ll need to research the most efficient and cost-effective way to do this.”
My team members nod, already scribbling down notes and ideas. We discuss logistics, supply chains, partnerships, and funding.
“Remember,” I remind them, “we’re not just providing creature comforts to the poor—we are saving lives. We’re giving these communities hope and a chance for a better today and tomorrow.
“Now, I have shown my hand. You all know what I want. Tell me what I need to do to make this happen. Tell me what obstacles you see so Mr. Copperfield here and I can strategize efficiently so that the minute work starts, there are no stoppages because we did not do our due diligence right.”
Set free to digest my vision, the team delves deeper into the planning, and challenges begin to surface.
“Some areas look too remote to me. I think this might make installation and maintenance nearly impossible. I can’t even see a road leading to some of these places. Can anybody see a road anywhere? Nunez asks out loud, his face scanning the group, then the map laid out before us. No answer means no road—one challenge documented, a million to go. Nunez has now opened the floodgates, and now everybody is talking almost all at once . . .
“Other areas face political instability, and that is likely to put our workers and resources at risk.”
“Additionally,” Sarah, one of the project managers, chimes in, “There are still many people out there who are resistant to change or may not understand the benefits of solar power. We’ll need to invest in education and community outreach to address these concerns.”
“Prior to this meeting, while doing my due diligence, I came across a video on YouTube where a local native was saying that solar power causes cancer, just like microwaves. They are probably connecting solar power with skin cancer from the sun . . . who knows.
“But they are Africans . . . they are immune to the sun. They don’t get skin cancer. They are protected by melanin, aren’t they?” Patrick Hinkley asks quite innocently.
We are all charting a project in an area most of us have never been to, to help people we know so very little about. Did I inadvertently start climbing a tree from the middle? Should I have done something else before getting to this place?
“We need to send a team to each area and gauge the level of acceptance of what you are trying to do before we do it; otherwise, it will be colonialism all over again. We can’t go in— white man charging— telling them what they need. Maybe we should try educating them first on the benefits we propose, then have them tell us whattheywant?” Maria, my project coordinator, chips in.
“Okay,” I say, rubbing my temples as the enormity of the task sinks in. “Let’s tackle these hurdles one by one. Addressing Nick’s contribution, for remote locations, can we look into alternative solutions like portable solar systems?”
“Sure,” replies Gregory, one of the engineers, “but it might take some time to design a viable product.”
“Time is something we don’t have much of,” I say, clenching my fists. “Come up with a better solution.”
