We now come to the counseling that both Annie and Lewee seek out. Annie, seeking spiritual counseling for insight into things above the earthly plane, connects with the Reverend Ackermann, a man best suited to giving practical, down to earth advice about navigating life’s daily challenges.
Lewee, seeking practical advice about the direction of her life, connects with Zack Hennessey, a pastor eager to help her explore her spiritual self. A cruel mismatch stemming from a chaotic world? Or divine providence at the hand of a God who knows that the best path is sometimes the long path around?
Well, of course the most straightforward answer is that it is the path chosen by a writer who sees in the mismatching the surest path to revealing what is inside each person. But we’ll ignore that option and try to keep the Fourth Wall intact.
The music on Lewee’s radio, and the warm night drive alongside the train with its rhythmic sounds, tap into some deep memories for me—memories that are vague but seem somehow meaningful. I had hoped that writing the VW Bug scene would clarify that sense of memory for me. It didn’t. But I still enjoy having this passage here.
Annie, in her counseling session, is too polite to tell the Reverend Ackermann that he’s missing her point.
Both women are, in their disparate ways, drawn to death. Lewee, by virtue of her thoughts; Annie, by her choice of location for her post-Ackermann contemplations. And of course, as the first chapter made clear, death looms over this town and is fated to be the driving element of the characters’ stories.
There are some vague foundations laid here for Zack Hennessey’s backstory, but they are purposely left indistinct. This scene is Lewee’s. And in this meeting, we begin to get a sense of what the secret is, that Lewee carries with her. I have to admit: As a writer, it is tough spooling this stuff out bit-by-bit. I want to rip that blouse off and shout to the world “Look at this!” Good thing for me this is fiction.