church of GUI and sad woman

When the preacher called to correct me about Camus and Sartre he said I needed to talk to the Sad Woman. I don't  how he knew. That was the name Allie and I gave to the woman we sometimes saw on our way to Piedmont Charter School. Most of the time the Sad Woman was walking. Once she was riding a little 49cc moped - the kind that people who've gotten a DUI can operate without a license. I think she was a waitress at Miles. We called her the Sad Woman because that's how she always looked. And we only saw her in the winter when it was cold.

Today I found her downtown, sitting on a bench in the little park beside the wall where the GUI church members are said to pray. It was unseasonably warm. Maybe that is why she didn't seem sad.

I stood before her and said, "Are you the Sad Woman?

She smiled and motioned for me to sit, "Do I look sad?"

"No."

She patted my hand. Her fingers were callused. "I'll call you the Sad Man. What can I do for you Sad Man?"

"A man - not a sad man - said I should talk to you. I don't know why. I think he is pastor or something at the Church of the Utterly Indifferent God. He might be crazy."

"You talked to the preacher. He surely is crazy. But all the best ones are. He wants me to tell you something and then for you to put it in a blog that you will create for the church."

"What blog?"

"That's where you will put these posts. He doesn't care what the blog looks like just that the title has the words 'Church of GUI (God the Utterly Indifferent).'"

"How do you people know me? Who are you?"

"The preacher gets around - although I've never seen him you understand.  You are one of us - and many of your acquaintance's - Knauth, Moore, Wolpert, Yancie, Randy, Susan, Rita, Henry, and Carolyn. Maybe Karen, Alice, and Julia. A lot of people here in Gastonia - maybe Ella - ask her. Most of the people you see on the streets."

"How do you know all this - how did you remember?"

She stood up. "It was a trick I learned as a waitress."

"Well what am I supposed to say about today?"

"Let's see. What did he tell me.., yes  And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws. "

"It's a Christmas thing. Merry Christmas Sad Man."

Then she kissed me on the cheek and left.