Thursday, January 14th, 2021

A hand comes into view and presses something hard against my forehead. A finger pulls the trigger. It beeps. The voice of our usual guest announces “You are clear to come to pray.” I look up. He has swiped the scanning thermometer from the reception desk. He goes around doing this to several of us. He skips the boss, whose desk is too large for him to reach across. We shamble over to the hallway. It’s colder than usual there. Several weeks ago, a full year’s worth of rain fell in one day. It’s been dry and warmer since then. Now it’s raining again. The guest opens a window then closes it. A tenth man shows up. The boss’s son calls out the first line of the opening psalm, starting the prayers. My mind wanders. Someone had asked me a question about music production at lunchtime. My answer to him had rambled. I talked about Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, and Taylor Swift. I think I got the point across, but I want to research more. The leader calls out another line in the midst of the silent prayer. Today is the new moon, so we add a paragraph. His voice brings me back to the present. I continue with the prayers, listening to the other men murmuring and shuffling, and to the rain.