Rocket Town
I could have sworn I met that guy, even though no directory or address book says he exists in Houston or Conroe or anywhere near the coasts. Perhaps Angel Martinez's first name was indeed who he was because he knew things that no one else would know about life and everything in it. The very first time I saw that wolf was at the Launching Pad, a bar in Houston adorned with more Rockets paraphernalia than any other place in the world. He was wearing a Clyde Drexler jersey, watching the game between the Rockets and Spurs but there was something that set him apart from the other fans,as he sipped his tea on that Friday night- a party night in the city which pretty much was the Texan version of Miami.
"Whatever are you doing, Chet? Aren't you interested in me?" my girlfriend would say. "This is after all, our idea of a good time together- getting drunk, watching the Rockets play on Fridays, then when we get home and the fun begins."
She was a sweet woman, maybe a bit too easy but who am I to judge her when she fulfills my sexual desires so well? Being the son of a representative, I have the money to date whichever girl I want, even though I may not be the most self-absorbed male fox in the world. But there were times when all this money and all of Houston's hottest babes in the world just couldn't fill the void in my heart. You see, my dad was married to the city more than to his wife so I was pretty much raised in the world. But this wolf who was seated across from me seemed so out of place I couldn't resist introducing myself and my girlfriend to him.
"Excuse me, you look a bit... lonely there and I just want to speak with you. My name's Chet Boucher and this is my girlfriend, Joanna Henderson."
"I know you, son of councilman Bob Boucher. Son of privilege but you're looking for something in more in life," was the response of the wolf as I sat down. I noticed he was wearing a large crucifix above the Rockets jersey.
"Man of the cloth?" I asked, putting aside the fears and worries one gets when one meets someone who knows your name and lot in life without an introduction. There were people in this world who know others better than their conversation partners know themselves. Scary people, but irresistible on account of what they know. This allure just dragged further and further from the outside world and closer to him.
"Why, yes, indeed I am except my congregation hasn't shown up tonight." What a weird place for a church meeting to take place- free booze on tap and sports games playing in the background and drunken rowdy fans. I had heard of some ministers setting up shop in pretty weird places but this was the first time I had actually experienced it.
"You seem so out of place in a city like Houston", I told him "especially at this bar."
"Well, yeah but Jesus walked around with people who weren't necessarily the highest rungs of society so I'm only following his lead. In truth, I have no congregation, no formal training, just a distaste for a city that has grown so materialistic," he told me as he continued to sip his tea through a straw, looking up just in time to see a thunderous dunk by Hakeem "the Dream" Olakujawon, which drew some attention from the people at the Launching Pad.
"I really don't like this man. He's gonna tell me everything I've done wrong in my life- I know how clergymen are. And he's gonna hate me for my low-cut dress," Joanna said, her high-pitched, waifish, nasal voice cutting through the silence. We both had a mutual disrespect for organized religion after losing money to swindlers who had megachurches in the area. A Texas megachurch is unapproachable and its ministers can't be touched. If they own lots of things and money in this world and their wives are hotter than yours, that's becuase they're the "King's Kids" and can live that way. According to them, God gave them mansions to live in and private jets and Rolls-Royces out of a sign of His love. It's a doctrine called the "prosperity gospel" and me and my girlfriend hated it. We weren't religious, we just lost money that was never returned and felt that if someone was greedy, they might as well be honest about it. But this wolf was different- he didn't wear his $1500 suit and rings- he seemed like one of the guys yet also someone with an odd aura about him.
"I'm not gonna lecture you on all that's bad with the world and all that Houston has done wrong. Rest assured, I could and I could go well into the wee hours of the morning but I just want to know how you feel about the city. And as for your girlfriend, yes she does need a more modest dress but that's not the worst sin in the world."
Before I could answer the question about Houston and where it was in God's eyes, the lion who owned the Launching Pad ordered that "if we were gonna talk religion, we'd have to leave." He had the same mistrust of the clergy that I had but the wolf just exuded something different than any other of those prosperity preachers. He told me his name was Angel Martinez and that we would see each other again in Hyde Park on Sunday morning- I would go there instead of my usual, almost perfunctory church I went to with its boring monologues and tired "prosperity gospel". There were many times I wanted to interrupt the ministers and say that some people in this world would not become rich and not get the new car/ house/ toys they wanted but standards wouldn't let me.
Their message was no doubt a popular one with the poor or just the people who wanted more things in this world but something inside my head told me it wasn't the right one. More so than money or things, I wanted the right spiritual insight and wisdom into this world. Knowing the truth had become for me, a quest for which no expense was too great- and Mr. Martinez had that truth and the world hated him for it. His warmth and kindness and humility, so different than the other pastors I've met was so refreshing, but thoughts of what he had in store for me dominated my thoughts that night- so much so that sex with Joanna became almost a chore. I only wanted Sunday to come so I could meet Mr. Martinez and learn more about him. No one in Houston had that same peace of mind and integrity as Martinez had- at least no one who could himself a spiritual leader did.
Finally, Sunday came and I met that wolf, dressed in a more formal suit, though the suit itself was secondhand and cost much less than any of the ministers' suits I'd seen. He was carrying a Bible so he looked more like a minister than just another sports fan like he did that Friday.
"I know, Mr Boucher- everything you're going through. God told me all about you- He told me that you're looking for alcohol and women and sex to fill a hole in your life. And that for a time, these things work but you need something more permanent in your life. You would resist religion because you associate religious people with scam artists but just because you gave up on God, doesn't mean he's given up on you."
In that one monologue, he had pretty much revealed my life story- I was rich yet also stricken with poverty at the same time. I had money yet never before had I felt so lacking in all my years- there was something more to life than just getting money and I knew that.
"It comes from the heart- there are many times I tell myself praying to find someone different in Houston, someone who doesn't care only for money will result in finding that person who lives humbly and acknowledges God, not money as being King of his life"
Soon, we were praying together for this city of Houston, with its crooks, its criminals, its materialistic counterfeit ministers that someday it would see that there is more to life than getting money. This wolf took my paw in his and we prayed and I knew at that moment, he was real.
"Now, the choice is yours- I hope we can find more people who feel the same way- fed up with the world and ready to find something more," he said as he walked off into Hyde Park. Fifteen years have passed since then- I have asked for anyone who knew Angel Martinez but no record of his existence can be found in any Houston phonebook. He's the kind of person who would show up in every situation but I just can't find him anywhere. Maybe he was from out of town, maybe he's homeless, maybe he works under different names, or maybe he has Angel indeed was an angel.
It doesn't matter to me any more- I gave up nearly everything I owned for the help of the poor in the city. Sure, as a councilman's son I could own the city if I so desired but now I feel happier giving food to the hungry and working at a homeless shelter- me and Joanna are now happily married with cubs of our own, who we've taught that money is not the key to happiness. I feel as though my meeting with him changed the course of my life but I still feel sad that I may never see him again. But I guess that's just the way things are in Rocket Town.