Happy to take part in the first Great Minds
Think Friday Challenge where Sarah and
Rohini present “When Words Collide!”.
This week we have two people from very
different worlds having a conversation.
Rain hammers the grimy windows of Malone Investigations, 3rd floor, East Harlem, NYC . A single lamp burns. A half-empty bottle of rye sits on the desk. The door creaks open.
DIRK: The name’s Malone. I was havin’ a conversation with this bottle of rye when you walked in, sister. What’s your angle?
MOTHER TERESA: My “angle,” dear child, is love. Pure and unconditional. Also, perhaps, a small cup of tea if you have one?
Dirk eyes the tiny woman in the white-and-blue sari, squinting through a curl of cigarette smoke.
DIRK: Lady, I’ve had dames walk through that door with every sob story from Brooklyn to The Bronx. You’re tellin’ me your racket is .… love?
MOTHER TERESA: It is not a “racket,” Mr. Malone. Though I confess, if loving the poor and suffering were a crime, I would be the most wanted woman in Calcutta.
Dirk slowly puts down his cigarette.
DIRK: Calcutta. That’s a long way from the mean streets, sweetheart. So what’s the caper? Who wronged ya? I got a .38 and a bad attitude …. point me at the mug.
MOTHER TERESA: No one has wronged me. I came because I sensed great loneliness behind this door. And also because the sign outside says “problems solved.” I have a small one.
DIRK: Loneliness? Toots, that’s not a problem, that’s a lifestyle. Now talk. My rate is twelve bucks a day plus expenses, and I don’t do charity cases.
MOTHER TERESA: That is interesting, because I do only charity cases. Perhaps we are more alike than you think, Mr. Malone. Also …. I will pay in prayers. They are worth considerably more than twelve dollars.
A long silence. Rain. Dirk pours two glasses of rye, then thinks better of it and puts one away.
DIRK: Alright, sister. Spill it. What’s the beef?
MOTHER TERESA: One of the young men I care for has gone missing. A boy named Kip. He fell in with a rough crowd. I believe you would call them .… bad eggs?
DIRK: Bad eggs. Yeah, this city’s got a whole rotten omelet of ’em. I know every two-bit hood from Coney Island to Carnegie Hall. I’ll find your Kip. But when I do, the kid might not be pretty.
MOTHER TERESA: Every soul is beautiful, Mr. Malone. Even yours …. though yours appears to be hiding underneath a great deal of whiskey and cynicism.
Dirk opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it again.
DIRK: …You got a lotta nerve, lady.
MOTHER TERESA: I have been called worse by far scarier men than you, dear. Now …. are you going to find Kip, or shall I ask the Lord directly? He is quite good at finding things, but He does prefer we make an effort first.
DIRK: (muttering) The Lord. Sure. Does He carry a piece? Know any snitches on Amsterdam Avenue?
MOTHER TERESA: He carries the whole world, Mr. Malone. And yes …. He knows everyone. Though He prefers the term “informants of the Holy Spirit.”
For the first time in three years, Dirk Malone almost smiles.
DIRK: Alright. You win, sister. I’ll find the kid. No charge. Don’t tell anybody …. I got a reputation to protect in this town.
MOTHER TERESA: Your secret is safe with me. And Mr. Malone? When you find him …. be kind. It costs nothing and it is the only currency that matters.
DIRK: (reaches for his hat) Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it for the sermon, sweetheart. (pauses at the door) …. And for what it’s worth? This city could use a few more dames like you.
MOTHER TERESA: And this world could use a few more hearts like yours, Mr. Malone. The ones trying very hard to pretend they do not care.
Dirk walked out into the rain. He didn’t look back. But he left the bottle of rye untouched for the rest of the night.
NAR©2026
This is “Saint and Sinner” by KISS
Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 