The Last Supper

The Last Supper ©

Carla had been married for eight years, when her husband died.
It was a tragic situation, where Carla had been a stay at home mom with their twelve year old son at that time. She was lost when he died and had to become familiar with running the household, making ends meet and socializing as a single parent.
Remarkably her husband had left them in a good financial position and she was able to work part time and be at home for her son Matt in the late afternoons. So that left her room to devote for social development.

Carla and her husband had been members of their church even before being married and she found comfort there in a single’s ministry they offered. They had their own circle of friends that they socialized with, and didn’t much go outside their community.

By the time Matt was fourteen it was apparent that he had skills in soccer. He played on his schools team as well as his church team. The church had formed a team based on Matt’s abilities and had assigned one of the youth minister’s to coach the boys. They played a game at least every month, and would practice every Saturday. The boys would arrive at church early and stay just before dinner. The church had gotten to the number two position for their state.
Matt was starting to pull some recognition from various outside sports fans and the local media. This attention was becoming overwhelming, however he managed to keep his grades up enough to maintain honor roll.

The summer he turned sixteen, his pastor had recommend him for youth counselor at the summer camp. Matt was glad to do it. He was given the sole responsibility of planning and setting up the sports event programs. He ran the sports camp efficiently each summer for the next two years.
Carla met Frank from church and re-married in the spring.

Matt applied to college out-of-state, but his mother didn’t approve. She tried everything to try to get him to stay. But all it did was dig up some ugly secrets. Carla was persistent and for weeks they argued about it. Frank, Carla’s husband, was a kind God loving man and would stay clear of any negativity that he felt he had no control over.

One evening to try to smooth things over, Matt brought his mother some flowers and ordered take out from her favorite spot so she could relax.

“Let us pray and give thanks.” He said, then he poured her a glass of her favorite wine.

They were half way through when the nagging started back up.

“Matt I’ve done a lot for you and I need for you to stay here with me.”

“This was my only chance mom to get out of this place and perhaps try to make a change for myself. I wanted to try and put this behind me. I was afraid that if I stayed here I wouldn’t be able to let this go. But you just couldn’t leave things alone.”

“What do you mean?” Carla asked.

“Forget it, it’s too late now,” Said Matt.

“Well I won’t let you go; I won’t pay for your tuition if you do go,” shouted Carla.

In a sad but firm voice Matt said, “Yes mom some how I knew that you wouldn’t, but it’ll be alright.”

“How, you don’t have a job and out-of-state tuition is costly,” said Carla.

“Yes but betrayal is free, you should know,” Matt said firmly.

Carla responded, “Matt what are you talking about?”

“How was dinner mom, did you enjoy it? Aren’t the flowers beautiful? Almost as beautiful as you are mom,” Matt said with pledging eyes.

“We’re not talking about flowers Matt.”

“Oh right. Sorry. I just thought you’d like these, they were your favorites.” You see mom, the reason I had become so good at soccer is because I had to throw myself into something to try to stop all the nightmares.”

“Nightmares, I thought you just grew out of them.”

“No, I hid in them, because I couldn’t escape from them. Each night over and over it would play back. The wine, the candles, the flowers, my father’s laughter, and then the special delivery from Minister Frey’s carry out. I’d often wondered why he would be making the delivery himself. Having his own restaurant and all. Forget it I thought, business must be busy. After my father died, it took awhile for things to get back to normal, and even seemed to get better once you’d started to date Frank. Minister Frey was down right happy and hysterical for you. Why, I wondered.”

“Matt stop it,” cried Carla.
Carla walked away with a very worried look. Matt followed her into the other room.

“I caught on one day at one of our church games where you disappeared for awhile and when you came back you had on a choir top. When I asked you about it you said you’d spilled something on your blouse. I believed you until at camp one day little Daniel was telling the story of how he’d seen you and Minister Frey fighting in the church office and he tore your blouse open. He said that minister Frey must have been sorry because he started to kiss you on the neck. I knew for sure then. Mom how could you?”
“Minister Frey is married and so were you. Both respected members of the church. It was bad enough to do what you did, but you had to take it further by fooling around in God’s house?
I’d nearly lost my respect for you. Then it came to me one day while looking for my birth certificate in some of your boxed papers, just how much love you had for my father. It took me awhile but after reading some very important documents you had in there, I’d determined that you deserved the same level of respect you gave him.”

“Matt let me explain?” Carla said as she ran towards Matt.

“Frank went out of town right?” Pasting the floor.

“That’s right”, as Carla looked away.

“Wrong, he moved out mom because he found out about you and minister Frey’s affair.”

Carla sat down on the sofa and began to look as if she was trying to work a puzzle in her mind.

“I know all about it. I also know that this puts a dapper on your future plans to suck Frank dry like you did dad. No time to waste huh ma? Gotta tackle that insurance instead.”

“Matt what have you done?”

“Me? No no no, you killed my father for money and sex, so I think the question would be what doth thy. See you failed to get the word to Minister Frey that Frank left. So he thinks the plans are still on. All I did was move up the date. I called him and told him that we finally made up and that you told me to give him the OK and to order the Passover to go. I saw the note in your box. You used The Lord to deceive my dad.”

“Matt”, she said with tearful eyes.

“Oh its OK mother. Remember the doctor’s death certificate said that dad died an almost painless food poisoning death. I had the same respect for you.”

Unable to get up, Carla looked at the clock as it chimed three times.

Matt walked over to his mother and with a warm kiss on the cheek, Matt said to her;
“I will always remember you, enjoy your dinner mother, it’s your last.”


Rea Vallieres