The Demise of the Faith Part III

He held the phone to his ear as he tried to see through a small space in the front window curtains. “911, what is your emergency.”
“Yes, hello. There's a rhinoceros in my living room.”
Silence.
“Hello…are you there?”
“Um, yes sir, I'm still here.”
“There's a rhinoceros in my living room.”
He could hear giggling in the background. “Sir, is it pink?”
“Ha, ha, very funny. I need help.”
“I can see that sir. I'll patch you through to animal control.”
The line at animal control rang for a long time before the night guard picked up the phone. “Animal Control, this is Jake.”
"Jake, there's a rhinoceros in my living room.”
Silence.
“Hello, Jake…”
“Is it pink?”
"Oh yeah, real original. I need some help over here right away.”
“Sir, what is your address?”
“721 East Lenfield Way.”
“We'll send the rhino team over as soon as possible, sir. Just stay where you are.”
“Thank you, very much.”
By three a.m. Jack knew the night watchman had humored him. He called Yellow Cab and spent the night in Sleeping Beauty Motel.
Betty was waiting in the driveway with Olga by six a.m. While Phil persuaded the rhino up into the horse trailer, Betty went inside to clean up. She pulled the tarp into the back yard, hosed off the night's dung, and hung the canvas over the back fence to dry. Back inside she emptied half a can of air-freshener throughout the house, and left by the front door. Olga was munching apples in trailer as they pulled onto East Lenfield and headed for the Sherman Ranch.
The motel wakeup call came at ten o'clock. Before getting out of bed, Jack called Animal Control. “Animal Control, this is Cynthia, how may I help you?”
“Cynthia, I called last night with a serious pest problem, and no one came to my assistance. I waited almost two hours.”
“I'm sorry sir, what is the nature of your problem.”
“It's a wild animal in my house.”
“Is it there now?”
“Yes, but I'm not. I'm at a motel. I was afraid to enter my residence last night.”
“I'm very sorry sir, we'll send someone out there right away. What's the address?” Jack repeated the address. “I'll be waiting for you there in one hour.” Jack hung up and called the police. After upbraiding the dispatcher he demanded that a patrolman meet him at his house.
The animal Control van pulled up just as two police officers were getting out of their car. Jack stood on the front porch with his arms folded over his chest and a stern expression on his face. “OK, OK,” he said as they came up the walk. “Now you'll see.” He turned to the door and unlocked it. He grabbed the handle and looked back at the officers. He pushed open the door and motioned with his hand, “That, ladies and Gentlemen, is a rhinoceros.”
Lt. Jones tilted her head and looked into the quiet living room. “That's what I would call it,” she said with a suppressed smile.
“O yeah,” said her partner, “It's pink too.”
Denski looked into the house. “What the…There's no rhinoceros in my living room!”
“If you say so, sir.” Replied the animal control worker. “If you say so.”
Jack rushed through the house and then out to the garage. When he returned to the porch the public servants were gone.
Betty came home that evening looking particularly tired, but she was so glad to see her husband. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “So good to see you, Honnee. It's been a tough and weird couple of days.”
“Oh, I can imagine,” said Jack. “Babe, I got into town last night.”
“Really? Where'd you stay?”
“At the Sleeping Beauty.”
“Why in the world would you…”
“Betty, I saw a rhinoceros in the living room!”
Silence.
“Was it Pink?”
Now, how does this explain why Christendom remains strong in spite of all its faults?
I'll tell you tomorrow.