Jezebel's Ladder by Scott Rhine

city. Mister Ben got
drunk with local farmers, rice wine. He is very friendly to everyone. He boasts
of being able to make best Western omelet ever, but we have no cheese. Mister
Ben sets off in his car in the heavy rain to get cheese for his new friends.”
    The story was difficult for even
Tan to tell, so Jez put down her cup and listened intently. “We lived ten miles
from the nearest town. No one in our village even owned a car or a phone. There
are no street lights. My sister, Mali, forgot to close up before the storm and
left the chickens to go free in the street. When she heard the car, she ran out
to grab the birds, to save them.”
    Jez read volumes into the silence. “He
ran into your sister.”
    “He swerved to avoid, but the graze
was enough to cause internal bleeding,” Tan said. “The car continued sliding
until it destroyed our small house. I was inside, watching through the window.
I escaped with only two broken arms.”
    Jez grimaced at the image.
    “Mister Ben’s phone would not work
in the monsoon with the antenna broken. The fancy car would not start because
of a safety feature that disconnects the battery after accident. This is to
save lives. Mister Ben put my sister in our wheelbarrow and started walking to
the nearest clinic. The wheelbarrow broke after three hours. I was unable to
help because of my arms. He had to carry Mali himself for the last hour. He
fell several times in the mud.”
    Tan folded his arms tightly against
his chest as he relived his old injuries. “When we finally arrived, the clinic
is closed. Been closed all day. Police very busy. Mister Ben would not give up.
He convinced police to give us ride to the city. Offer to let them lock him up.
I sing to Mali the whole drive our mother’s favorite song.”
    Tan wept openly.
    Jez stepped in. “It was too late
for her. Somebody contacted the movie company and money made everything go
away.”
    Tan nodded. “But not Mister Ben. He
stayed for six months, raising enough donations to keep the clinic open always.
He started a new charity and collected enough to give each village a phone. Even
this was not enough. When his visa expired, he came back here to get bigger
donations, to make real change. Mister Ben offered me his home because he destroyed
mine. I tell him…I told him that I only stay here as his friend.”
    Placing her hand on his shoulder,
Jez said, “Friends like you are hard to find, Tan. Thank you, for forgiving him
and for sharing your pain with me.”
    When Jezebel found Benny, he was on
his computer in the study, drafting his resignation letter from the hospital
charity he had helped to found. When he noticed her arrival, he said with mild
surprise, “You’re still here.”
    She placed herself between him and
the screen. “You’re not going to need that letter.”
    Benny said, “Fortune has the tox
results from the hospital. I demanded they do a blood test on me. The results
didn’t come back till after all charges were dropped, but the doctor still
saved them. I was over the legal blood-alcohol limit.”
    Jez nodded, “ Mea maxima culpa .
Those prisons aren’t very friendly. And Tan seems to think you’re doing a lot
more good out here.”
    When he started to object, she
placed a finger on his lips. “You’ve risked yourself for me twice now. I’m
standing by you this time, and you’re not going to stop me.”
    Reaching under her shirt, she said,
“I’m going to share something with you this afternoon I’ve only showed to one
other man.” When his eyes got big, she hastily amended, “Relax, this isn’t a
pass. When I make a pass, you’ll know.”
    Jez pulled out her golden butterfly
and held the back side up in front of his face. “Take a quick look, but don’t
touch.”
    Math symbols danced across the
surface. He covered his eyes, “Holy Mother, you’ve had a page the whole time?”
    “I covered the front in eight
dollars worth of gold leaf, but left the back bare to give me direct