I got another look from Adam, who prodded me onto the loveseat, then sat beside me, close enough to elbow me if I got out of line.

I have nothing against organized religion. Well, not much. But if you’re going to have a religious conversion and clean up your life, then do it when your child is born, not after she dies.

“How about you, young man?” Carol said, turning to Adam. “Have you accepted Christ into your life?”

“I’m still ...” Adam gave a sheepish shrug. “Looking, you know? Trying to find the right church. Which one do you belong to?”

“Our Holy Savior in Battle Ground. It’s a very old church. Small, but old.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard of it. Maybe I’ll check it out. How does it feel about ... ?” He squirmed. “I’ve got this problem. More of a question, really, and I’m having a hard time finding the right answer from the churches I’ve tried.” He glanced sharply at me. “Don’t give me that look.”

I wasn’t giving him any look, but I rolled my eyes on cue, murmuring, “Not this again.”

“It’s bugging me, okay?” He turned back to Carol. “I’ve got this good friend who’s been dating this girl and she’s into ... stuff. Occult stuff.”

“Occult?” Carol’s eyes widened.

“It’s not occult,” I said. “I keep telling you it’s—”

“Witchcraft, I know. She says she’s a witch.”

Carol frowned. “Wiccan?”

“No, this one says she’s a real witch.”

Carol looked genuinely confused. “You don’t mean devil worship, do you?”

“It is Wiccan,” I said. “A branch of it anyway. And I keep telling him it’s not occult; it’s an earth-based religion.”

“I don’t think I’d call it a religion myself,” Carol said slowly. “But if they do, then maybe ...”

“What does your church say about stuff like that?” Adam asked.

“I don’t know. I’d have to ask. Personally, I don’t agree with it.”

“See?” Adam said to me.

“She said she doesn’t agree with it. She didn’t say she thinks ‘something should be done about those people.’”

“I was kidding.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“I’d had a few beers.”

“So which was it? You were drunk or you were kidding?”

As we faced off, Carol said timidly, “I might not agree with it, but the Bible teaches us to respect the customs of others.”

“No, the Bible says ‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,’” Adam said. “It’s right there in black and white.”