Monday, May 26, 2014

ESCAPE - Chapter 20

   In the following two weeks after Tom returned from Charlotte, he was so busy he didn’t have time to worry about whether he passed the North Carolina bar exam. The people who owed him money were coming in with payments on their bills in increasing numbers. He had new clients every day. Best of all, he was beginning to have commercial clients come to him. They were small businessmen who realized that his Spartan office accommodations and his use of students explained why his fees were considerably lower than lawyers with well decorated offices in the business districts of Atlanta. 
   In the two weeks following his return, Tom netted $6000. He put $5000 in the bank and took $1000 to spend on Christmas. He bought a $500 money card. He put it in a Christmas card which he addressed “To my darling Ofelia.” He still had $500 remaining from the $1000 advance from Matthew. He held onto that money.
   At home at supper time, he stood up and asked for the attention of his wife and daughters.
“I have two announcements for the family. First, I am going to give my precious wife, Ofelia, her Christmas present early. I would like to buy her a dress or shoes or some other item, but I think if she chooses them herself, it would be better. In this Christmas card is a money card to be spent on nothing or no one but the queen of my heart and the beauty of our home. Here is $500 so that you can buy special foods for the holidays, decorations, and gifts for your family. The Lord has been good to me and has blessed my business so I want you to reap the rewards of my growing business.
   Second, I recognize the Lord’s hand in the growth of my business. I am a minister’s son, but I have been a poor Christian these past years. That is going to stop. Beginning this Sunday, I am going to be in the Presbyterian Church every Sunday. I would be delighted if the girls would come with me and go to Sunday School. They go to Catholic school, but they never go to church. I would also be happy if you would go with me Ofelia. Whether I go alone or whether my family goes with me, I am going to be in God’s House every Sunday from now on.”
   There was a stunned silence in the room. Tom walked over to Ofelia, handed her the card and the $500. Then he took her into his arms and held her close to him. After a few minutes she turned her face up to him, smiled seductively, and said, “Kiss me.”
   After a long kiss, she whispered, “We’ll finish this in the bedroom after the girls go off to bed. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
   On Sunday, the girls were ready and so was Ofelia.
***********
   I left Casper and followed I-25 North until it merged with I-90. Nearing Montana I came to Sheridan, Wyoming. I pulled off the Interstate to get some gas and also to eat lunch. There was a café near the gas station. I went in and sat down in a booth. I ordered a hot roast beef sandwich from the menu. It reminded me of an incident from my childhood. I was in sixth grade. One morning my mother didn’t have any food in the house. My father had been drinking the night before. It had been his payday. When he staggered in, he threw some money at my mother. Since she couldn’t make me a sandwich to take to school, she gave me a dollar and told me to buy my lunch. At school you had to buy lunches for the whole week. At lunch time, I went off the school grounds to a restaurant next to the school playground. I sat down in a booth and showed the waitress my dollar.
   “Can I get a lunch for this?”
   “You sure can, young man. How about a hot roast beef sandwich?”
   “Okay.”
   I didn’t know what a hot roast beef sandwich was. I thought it was a slice of beef between two slices of bread. Maybe they warmed it to make it hot.
   What the waitress brought me was a plate with a slice of bread, two generous slices of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and hot gravy on top of it all. Golly! We never had food that nice at home. Then she brought me a glass of milk. I had never felt so full when I left that restaurant. When I was older, I appreciated the generosity of the waitress. The meal obviously cost more than a dollar.
   From the past to the present. The waitress brought me a plate nearly identical to what I remembered from almost fifty years ago. I savored the meal and lingered over my coffee.
When I went out to my car there was a woman of about thirty cowering behind my car. When I approached, she ran up to me.
   “Please, Mister, you’ve got to help me! I’ve been living with this man for almost a year. In the last couple months he has been yelling at me and hitting me every time something upsets him or doesn’t go his way. Even in bed, he doesn’t make love to me, he rapes me and hurts me. Please help me get away. Take me to Billings. I have a sister there.”
   My gut instinct was to run away from this, but I also was pulled by a sense of duty to help her.
   “Do you promise that you will leave when we get to Billings?”
   “Yes, I promise.”
   Her clothes were too flimsy for the outside temperature. I rearranged the luggage and other things of mine including the snow board so that there was a place for her in the front seat. I went to the trunk, rummaged through my things and found some fleece pants and sweatshirt. I gave them to her to wear.
   When we were pulling out of the parking lot, she ducked down. There was man who looked like a lumberjack calling, “Phyllis, Phyllis. I’m sorry. Come out from wherever you are hiding. Come back home. I’ll make it up to you.”
   He was still calling her as we pulled out onto the highway.
   Phyllis was raised in an orphanage. When she was eighteen she had to leave. She tried to get a job in a store or an office. The only job that she could get was as a waitress. The cook in the café where she was working started wooing her and finally she agreed to move in with him. They were happy together, but he kept evading the issue of marriage. Fortunately, there were no children. 
   After a year and a half, a woman showed up at the apartment where they were living. She was married to the cook and threw Phyllis out without allowing her to get her things. A cook is more important than a waitress. So, at the insistence of the cook’s wife, the café let Phyllis go. No clothes, no job, no money.
   The story of Phyllis’ life was a repetition of a story I had heard over and over again with minor variations.
   “You need someone strong and reliable to watch over you and take up for you.”
  “You mean you?” Her face and voice brightened.
   “No, not me. I mean Jesus Christ. He is more powerful than the bully who has been abusing you. Psalm 5 tells us that the LORD hates all who do wrong, He destroys all who tell lies, He detests the bloodthirsty and deceitful. He is the One you need to be on your side. Start reading the Bible, go to church, fall in love with Jesus. I’m not going to tell you that all of a sudden you will be a millionaire. However, in ways that you can’t detect the Lord will be helping you. In church you will have a lot better chance of meeting a man who will treat you with the respect you deserve.”
   “If I had a father, I think he would be just like you. Thank you.”
   When we reached Billings, I let her out at a truck stop. I gave her $50 and told her that I would be praying for her.
   From Billings I turned onto I-94 East. By the time I reached Miles City, Montana there was snow on the road and it was dark. I found a motel and after I checked in, I went out looking for a place to eat. A truck stop was near the motel, so I went there to eat supper. While I was waiting for my meal, I called Philip.
   “Philip, this is Dad. I am in Miles City. I decided not to go any farther tonight.”
   “That is a wise decision, Dad. These roads are treacherous when there is snow on them. Add darkness to the snow and you have a lethal combination.”
   “I was able to get a snow board for Billy and a doll for Polly. I had a blowout in New Mexico, but it was for the good. I put snow tires on the rear wheels, I had some good experiences in Wyoming. Now I am looking forward to seeing you all.”
   “We are looking forward to seeing you. When the children came in from school, the first thing they asked was, “Is Grandpaw here?”
   “Goodbye, then.”
   “Goodbye, Dad, we love you.”
   Right after the waitress brought my food, I saw Phyllis come into the café from the parking lot for tractor trailers. She was walking hand in hand with a man who appeared younger than her. They were laughing, smiling at each other, swinging their arms as they walked along. I would be praying for Phyllis that she would turn to Jesus Christ and that she would not repeat the cycle of self destruction she had been caught in for over a decade.
   The next day I followed I-94 East to Glendive. I turned on MT Route 200S and drove north to Circle, Montana where I turned onto MT Route 13 which took me to Wolf Point.
   Wolf Point is on the Missouri River which originates in Montana and flows to St. Louis where it empties into the Mississippi River. Wolf Point is in the center of the southern border of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Some of the more interesting accounts of the Lewis and Clark Expedition took place in this region. 
   The western part of Montana gives the state its name which means “mountainous”. The eastern part, where Wolf Point is located, is in the plains. Cattle range here; there is farming supported by ambitious irrigation projects on four rivers that are tributaries of the Missouri. There are also many oil and gas wells in this part of the state.
   Driving east from Billings and then north from Miles City I saw many fields of grain, pasture lands being grazed by   cattle, oil derricks, even some bison. I saw fine homes, ordinary homes, and the battered trailers of the poor.
   Stopping at a gas station in Wolf Point, I asked where Dr. Sterner lived. Everyone there knew him and several people started telling me how to find his house. When I found his house and stopped the car, Molly ran out to greet me.
   “Dad, you’re here! Phil is out on a call. Let me take you to Mrs. Carruther’s house and let you get settled. I’ll help you unpack the car. Then after you are ready, we can go back to the house. The children should be getting home in another hour or so. That will give you time to be there to surprise them.”
   Mrs. Carruther was old but unbent. She carried herself with regal posture. She was dressed in an old cotton dress with an apron protecting it. She had yellowish white “grey hair” which was pulled back tightly and wrapped into a bun. Her eyes were sharp and expressive. She began to recite a list of rules which I was sure I wouldn’t remember but which ended,
   “You won’t need a key. I’ve never locked any of my doors, inside or outside. I will make breakfast for you. You will have to be downstairs and in the dining room promptly at 8 a.m.  If the toilet stops up, go get a plunger and unstop it yourself. I want $250 a week. You can pay me the first week right now.”
   She held out her hand palm up. I pulled out my wallet and put $250 into her hand.
   In the next couple days I realized that Wolf Point was a bigger town than its official population of 2700 would suggest. There were three television channels, and an AM/FM radio station located in Wolf Point. Wolf Point is a stop on the Amtrak and has a passenger station. There are also two large grain elevators and a grain mill.
   The town is located on a large Indian reservation, Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Fifty percent of the town’s population is native American Indians.
   The predominance of Scandinavian names and the fact that there are more Lutherans than Presbyterians, Baptists, and Mormons combined says a lot about the history of this area. The largest church by far is the Catholic Church. That can be attributed to their long history of missionary work among the Indians. The historic division between the Indians and the white men is illustrated by the fact that there are two Presbyterian churches, First Presbyterian Church and Dakota United Presbyterian Church. (The historic United Presbyterian denomination also had missionary efforts among the Indians. The United Presbyterian denomination joined the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. a generation ago.) Both churches now belong to the same denomination, have a membership of 33 members each, and are only two blocks apart in Wolf Point.
   Place names reflect history. Wolf Point is located in Roosevelt County. That would be for Theodore Roosevelt who loved the Wild West. First Presbyterian Church is located on Custer Street. Custer’s Last Stand involved some of the Indians from this area.
   My arrival in town did not go unnoticed. In the next issue of the Herald News, there was this item in “Local News”:
“The Reverend Joshua Sterner, father of local medical doctor Philip Sterner, has come to Wolf Point for an extended vacation. He is staying at Mrs. Carruther’s home as a boarder. The local Presbyterians are hoping that he will preach for them while he is here.”
    The local Presbyterians in the persons of Dwight Holcum, clerk of session at First Presbyterian Church, and Andrew Slower Than Bear, clerk of session at Dakota United Presbyterian Church, came to me on Thursday and asked me if I would preach for them while I was in town. Andrew added, “If you will be here on January 2 that is our next scheduled communion service. We haven’t had a communion service for a year now. The presbytery has offered to commission one of our elders to administer communion. We haven’t agreed which has annoyed them. It just doesn’t seem right to us.”
   “I will be glad to preach in your churches and I expect to be around until at least January 2. I am “between churches” as they say. My wife died of cancer in October. I decided that I needed some time to get over that. My oldest son and grandchildren are here, so I want to hang around a while before I get back into the harness. Mr. Slower Than Bear tell me sometime the origin of your name. Also, I would be honored if you would show me around the Reservation and introduce me to the tribal elders.”
   I saw a dark cloud pass over Mr. Holcum’s face for a brief instant.


Monday, May 19, 2014

ESCAPE - Chapter 19

   Rex Nolan took me to a steakhouse for dinner. I had steak, baked potato and gravy, green beans, homemade bread, and coffee.
   “Mr. Sterner, you certainly made a good impression on those folks. Mr. Sheetz has given you a very good recommendation. Why did you leave the church in Arkansas?”
   “I was asked to leave.”
    I told him that my wife had died of cancer after a long siege of suffering. I told him about the vicious rumor which spread through the community.
   “First the people believed it, then two of my sons believed it and filed a lawsuit against me. When the facts came out, they withdrew the lawsuit. The church had already asked me to leave by then. Most people preferred the rumor to the facts. I decided to go to Montana to be with my oldest son, his wife, and two of my grandchildren for Christmas. Joe Sheetz encouraged me to fill out a minister’s data form before I left. That is how you received it.”
   “Why did you put down Wyoming Presbytery on your data form? I can understand Glacier Presbytery as one of your choices because that is where your son lives.”
   I told him about my experience during the Vietnam War in a steakhouse in Cheyenne while riding across the country on a bus.
   “Give me the address of where you will be in Montana. If you feel like God is calling you to Laramie, call me!”
   Mr. Nolan drove me back to my car. He led me out to I-80. I drove back to Cheyenne and turned onto I-25 North. It is 670 miles from Laramie to Wolf Point. I decided to drive as far as possible today and drive the rest of the way tomorrow. I would try to get to Casper at least. I had had a lot of good experiences in Wyoming.
   Today was December 12. The trip had been expensive. I had stayed in motels every night. Two of those nights the church in Laramie had paid. I had bought Christmas presents and a set of snow tires. Altogether I had spent at least $2000 so far.
   I had been in high altitude country for a couple days. I’m always tired on Sundays after preaching, but the high altitude made me feel especially weary.
   By the time that I reached Casper I was ready to give up for the day. I exited the Interstate and went to the Hampton Inn. Fortunately, they were able to give me a room without a reservation. I signed the registration card. It was then that I looked up at the young lady behind the desk. Her name tag said “Laura”. My eyes filled with tears and I hurried to the elevator. I held it in until I was inside my room.
   I sat in the upholstered chair, buried my face in my hands and cried and wailed, “Laura, Laura, Laura, why are you gone? Why did you leave me? How can I go on living without you? O God, why did you take her from me? What did I do? What didn’t I do? Am I supposed to be like Ezekiel – lose my wife, but keep up a good front for the people?
   “What is a church supposed to be? I have dedicated my life to building a church, nourishing its members with Your Word. One ignorant woman who isn’t even a member of the church starts spreading a lie about me. Instead of the church members standing up for me and standing behind me, they join the mob and run me out of town, Why, Lord?
   “Laura, you are in heaven now. Does it make any more sense from that perspective?”
   At some point I stood up, went over to the bed and fell across it face down and cried so hard my sides were hurting. I fell asleep crying. I was still in my suit and tie and my shoes were still on.
   I had a dream that Jesus was sitting in a chair and I was seated in a chair. We were facing one another. It was like a counseling session with a parishioner, but I was the one being counseled.
   “Joshua, I died on the cross and rose again from the dead to defeat Death. Now are you going to act like Death is the victor? What do you think happened when Laura died? Do you think she was snatched away by the sharp nailed claws of Death? ‘No one can take them out of my Father’s hand.’ ‘To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.’ Believe what you have been preaching all these years. Laura went to her reward ahead of you. Stop whimpering. Stand up and fight the good fight again.”
   After that dream I woke up shivering. It was cold in the room. I went to the room heater and found it had been left on “Cool”. I turned on the heat, got undressed and crawled in under the covers. After shivering for a few minutes I started to feel warm. I went back to sleep and slept until 9 a.m. I went down to breakfast. After a delicious repast, I went back to the room, collected my things, and went to the nightstand to leave a tip for the housekeeper. There was a card there saying that “Laura” had cleaned the room and she hoped that everything was satisfactory. This time when I saw the name “Laura” a wave of happiness swept over me.
   I checked out of the motel and went back to I-25 North to continue on my way to Montana.
***********
   After he had supper with his father, Nathaniel returned to Joy’s house. After the children were put to bed, Joy went in for her shower. When she came out to the living room to Nathaniel she was not wearing her bathrobe but baby doll pajamas.
   “You can go get your shower now, my fiancé. Lose that silly towel when you come out”
   That evening when they kissed and snuggled on the sofa, Joy let him know that they would be a lot more intimate from now on. At one point, when they were just holding hands, Joy said,
   “There is something I want you to get me as a wedding present.”
   Surprised, Nathaniel said, “What is that?”
   “I want you to buy me a bedroom suite and a new mattress set. We can put the old dresser in Sean’s room and the old vanity in Eibhlin’s room. The old bed and mattress we can give to Goodwill. Those were the matrimonial bed and bedroom suite of Patrick and I. I don’t want us to consummate our relations in the bed of my former marriage. Do you understand, my dear?”
   On Wednesday morning, before he left to return to Ft. Bliss, they went shopping for a new bedroom suite and for wedding rings.
   Nathaniel returned to Ft. Bliss Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning, he received his PCS orders. The first sergeant gave him a packet of forms to clear base. The first place he went was to Personnel.
   “I need to have these orders amended. The home of residence is incorrect. The home of residence in my personnel file was the address of my parents in Arkansas. Several months ago my mother died. My father is a minister. While I was at Camp Dawson he left that church in Arkansas. He doesn’t have a church or an address now. On the other hand I am going to be married in three weeks. I want you to change my home of residence in my personnel file and on these orders to my fiancee’s address. Here it is.”
   After that there were over a dozen offices to visit and be cleared or signed off. There was unit equipment to turn in. He had to pack all his own uniforms, gear, clothing, and personal items.        On Friday afternoon he had cleared out of his billet. He waited around until after midnight to sign out, and then headed for Pecos. It was about 3 a.m. when he arrived. He had phoned Joy to let her know that he would be arriving in the middle of the night. She met him at the door wearing another baby doll outfit.
   “Come in here, I want to show you.”
   She had the new bedroom suite set up in her bedroom. It looked magnificent.
   “Here it is all ready to be our marriage bed!”
   Nathaniel kissed her and then went out to the sofa to try to get a few hours sleep. The next morning Joy and the children tiptoed around, shushing each other, wanting Nathaniel to sleep as long as he could.
   On Sunday, after church, Nathaniel and Joy approached the minister as he was shaking hands. “Pastor, we would like to meet with you some day soon.”
   “Certainly. Would Tuesday at 10 a.m. be satisfactory?”
   “Yes, sir.”
    On Monday, they called the Courthouse to find out what they needed for a marriage license. They needed a birth certificate and a blood test. They made an appointment with the doctor for Thursday. They had agreed that until Nathaniel’s situation was settled, they would try to prevent pregnancy. Joy would ask the doctor to fit her for a diaphragm. They would have to wait until the following Monday to get the results of their blood tests.
   On Tuesday they went to see the Reverend Wesley Asbury Johnston.
   “Pastor, we would like to be married on January 1 at 10 a.m. There probably won’t be anyone except Joy’s two children. Would you be willing to perform the wedding for us?”
   “I’ll be glad to. You are both grown adults. I know Joy is a very mature person who wouldn’t do anything rash. I’m sure she has considered how this will affect the children. How did you come up with the date January 1 and the time 10 a.m.?”
   “Joy is receiving a widow’s pension from her first husband. Taxes and other paperwork will be simpler by beginning a new marriage the first day of the year. I have to leave on a new assignment the sixth of January. If we are married in the morning, it gives us one more day of honeymoon before I have to leave.”
   The Reverend Johnston said, “Those are difficult circumstances in which to be married.”
   Joy spoke, “My first husband was also in Special Forces. I wasn’t looking for another husband. The children and I broke down on a road that didn’t seem to have any other cars on it. Nathaniel came along and rescued us. He was just so kind and considerate. The kids love him. I didn’t mean to, but I just fell in love with him. I fell so hard, so suddenly. I think the third time we were together I told him that I would always be here waiting for him. I love him and I want to marry him.”
   “I can’t argue with that. Now tell me, while you are on your honeymoon, who will take care of the kids?”
   “We don’t have anyone. My mother is in a wheelchair and trying to take care of my father who has Alzheimer’s.”
   “Oh, my.”
   “We will probably do our honeymooning while the children are at school.”
   “Nonsense. I will check with my wife, but I am sure that she will agree for the children to stay here from the time of the wedding until you return on the fifth. We will get them to school and back. Every couple days I’ll take them home to drop off their dirty clothes and pick up clean clothes and fresh toys.”
   “Pastor, you are an A number one minister. You remind me of my father.”
   “Thank you. I remember the Sunday he came with Joy. Why didn’t you ask him to marry you?”
   “He is up in Montana for Christmas. He will probably be snowed in until Easter! Besides that, he isn’t registered to perform marriages in Texas.”
   Reverend Johnston had prayer with Nathaniel and Joy, and they left his office.
   On Wednesday, while the children were at school, Joy took Nathaniel to meet her parents. Her mother was thrilled to meet Nathaniel.
   “Joy has told me so much about you. I’m so happy that she has a man to love her and help her raise those children. She has told me how much the children love you and look forward to the times when you are there with them. Sean still brags about helping you wash the car.”
   About then, her father came into the room. He was a thin man who looked like he had once been a laborer.
   “Is that Georgie? Georgie where have you been all this time? I looked all over for you. Why didn’t you come home?”
   He came over and hugged Nathaniel.
   “You see, Maggie, I told you he would come home when he was ready. Give him a beer, Maggie. He looks like he is old enough for a beer.”
   “Thank you anyhow, sir. I don’t drink beer.”
   “Did you get too good to drink a beer with your Dad?”
   At this point he was becoming combative.
   “Poppy, don’t ruin Joy’s visit.”
   “We’ll go now, Mom. Call me if you need help.”
   Outside Joy explained to Nathaniel that when she was young she had a brother named George who was a year older than she. One day he wandered off into the woods. When he was found a week later he was dead. Her father never accepted the fact that it was George. He always believed that George would come back home some day.
   On Thursday they went for their doctor’s appointment. The doctor told his nurse to draw blood from Nathaniel and Joy and send it to the lab. Then Nathaniel left the room while the doctor fitted Joy for a diaphragm. Afterward they went to the pharmacy to purchase it. Nathaniel bought a large pack of condoms, deciding that it was only right that they take turns.

   Friday, Nathaniel and Joy went Christmas shopping. They bought Sean a bigger bicycle, and for Eibhlin they bought a dollhouse.

Monday, May 12, 2014

ESCAPE - Chapter 18

   Nathaniel called me at the motel.
   “Dad, do we still have a dinner date?”
   “I’m looking forward to it. What time?”
   “How about six o’clock?”
   “That’s fine with me.”
   “I’ll pick you up at your motel.”
   “Okay, I’ll see you then.”
   In the hour remaining I carried as much to the car as I could. I also tried to straighten it out. I had washed all my dirty clothes and had them in a plastic bag. This evening I would do ironing while watching television.
   Over dinner Nathaniel told me that he had proposed to Joy and had put his Mom’s engagement ring on her finger.
   “Thanks for saving her ring for me, Dad.”
   He went on to tell me that they planned to be married on January 1 and go on a honeymoon for four days after the wedding.
   “Well, son, a lot of people would think it strange to be getting married when you will only see each other once a month, if then. It doesn’t matter what a lot of people would say if that is what the two of you have agreed. You are getting a wonderful wife and she is getting a fine man. I will pray that the Lord will bless you with happiness.”
   We finished our supper, shook hands, then hugged.
   “I love you, Dad.”
   “I love you, son. God bless you.”
   The next morning I started the long hard drive to Laramie, Wyoming. As I drove I saw different colors of sandy soil, rocks, and mountains. I don’t think that I saw anything green unless it was painted that color. My first overnight stop was Las Vegas, New Mexico.
   Las Vega, New Mexico looks impressive from the distance, but it is a typical Western small town. I stayed at the Plaza Hotel. It looked like it came from a Western movie. However, the room and bed clothes were clean. I found a restaurant, ate supper, went back to my room, took a shower, and went to bed.
   The next morning I left without eating breakfast. I found a McDonald’s, went to the drive-thru and bought a sausage biscuit with egg, an orange juice, and a black coffee. I ate my breakfast while driving north on I-25. After driving for an hour or so, I heard a loud BANG and the rear end of the car started going sideways. I slowed down without braking. I realized that the car could have spun around in the road or even turned over. When I got the car stopped and on the side of the road, I got out to inspect the damage. The right rear tire had blown out. I opened the trunk and started putting everything on the side of the road so that I could get to the spare tire and jack. We were on a bit of an incline. I found some rocks to put behind the other wheels to keep the car from rolling backward.
   I jacked up the car. Before the wheel was off the road, I loosened the lug nuts. Then I jacked it high enough to remove the blown out tire. I removed it, put on the spare tire, tightened the lug nuts on it, and lowered the car. I put the jack and the blown out tire in the wheel well and then repacked the trunk. I noticed that the spare tire was low on air. Not far up the Interstate I came to Raton, New Mexico. After a few inquiries I found a garage that sold tires.
   I told Ray, the mechanic and owner that I had a blowout on the Interstate; I put the spare on but I didn’t think it was very good. I wanted to buy two tires for the rear.
   “What kind of tires do you want?”
   “Just like the ones that are on there. I don’t care what brand.”
   “Where are you going? It looks like you are packed to stay someplace for a while.”
   “I’m on my way to Wolf Point, Montana. I have a son who lives there. I wanted to spend Christmas with him and his family which includes two of my grandchildren.”
   “May I make a suggestion, sir?”
   “Certainly, by all means do so.”
   “You should put snow tires on the back wheels at least. Snow tires on all four wheels is best. At least put them on the rear wheels. I would be surprised if you make it all the way there without encountering snow. We don’t always have a white Christmas, but I’m sure that they always do.”
   “That is a very good suggestion. Thank you. Put snow tires on the rear wheels. I’ll have to unpack the trunk. The wheel with the blown tire is in the trunk. Don’t put the old spare back in there, Put the other rear tire in the trunk as a spare.”
   “I’m glad that you are a person who can take advice. Now if you will walk out that door and turn right there is a café two blocks down the street. Get one of the plate specials. If you are lucky, they may still have some blackberry pie. By the time you finish your lunch and walk back here, I’ll have your car ready to go.”
   I followed Ray’s advice a second time. The food was good, the other customers and the waitress were friendly. I ate leisurely and enjoyed my meal.
   True to his word Ray had my car ready and had even packed my luggage back into the trunk. I thanked him. When I paid the bill I gave him $20 extra. I told him it was not only for doing a good job but for the good advice he gave me.
   Out on the highway and onto the Interstate I was surprised at first at the noise the snow tires were making. It was like a circular saw. I still had over 300 miles to go to Cheyenne. There were two big cities, Colorado Springs and Denver before Cheyenne. I hadn’t realized how much they would slow me down. There were not only cities to slow me down, but mountains. I thought when I left Raton that it would be about 8 p.m. when I reached Cheyenne. As it was I didn’t reach the Hampton Inn in Cheyenne, Wyoming until almost 11 p.m. When I entered my room, I took off my coat, went to the bathroom and washed my hands and brushed my teeth. I took off my clothes and shoes, crawled under the covers and fell asleep.
   The next day I slept until after 9 a.m. I dressed, went down to breakfast, and made a waffle which I covered with fruit salad and yogurt. I drank two cups of robust coffee and a glass of orange juice.
   Returning to my room, I shaved, freshened up, and went back to the Lobby. I asked the desk clerk where the department stores were located. He showed me on a street map of Cheyenne.
   There were several department stores in the center of the city. I looked for a doll and a snow board first. I didn’t want just any doll. It had to be special. Finally, I found a beautiful doll about eighteen inches tall. The skin was soft, the hair felt real, and it had a pretty dress and shoes.
   The snow board was another matter. I looked in several stores until I found a salesman who knew what he was talking about. He asked me how tall Billy is, is this his first snowboard, and a set of intelligent questions. Finally, he pointed to three snowboards.
   “Any one of these three snowboards will be all right for a beginner in snowboarding. I would suggest this one. That one is cheaper, but it isn’t made well. The other one is the most expensive, but you are paying for a fancy design and an endorsement by someone your grandson probably never heard of. This middle one is Plain Jane but well made.”
   “Thank you. That is the one I’ll take.”
   Since I had a doll in my arms, he carried the snow board out to the car for me. I’m glad no one is riding in the passenger seat because it extended from the back seat into the front passenger seat.
   I locked the car and went back into the store to get a present for Philip and Molly. I looked around and finally bought Philip a pair of fur lined gloves. I bought Molly a kitchen apron with matching oven mitts.
   By then it was lunch time. I saw a Subway shop. I bought a twelve inch sub, ate half of it for lunch and took the other half back to the motel to eat for supper.
I was running out of money so I went to an ATM machine. The limit was $300/day. I made a note to myself to go to an ATM machine tomorrow and get another $300.
   I called Joe Sheetz and told him about my conversations with the executive presbyters of Tres Rios and Wyoming Presbyteries. I told him that I was supplying the pulpit in a vacant church in Laramie, Wyoming this Sunday and having lunch afterward with the executive presbyter of Wyoming Presbytery.
   “I had a call from the executive presbyter of Glacier Presbytery in Montana. Apparently the church in Wolf Point, Montana asked him if they could have you supply their pulpit while you are visiting your son.”
   “Philip told me that they were going to ask me to preach. I guess that is good that they asked their Presbytery’s permission first.”
   “How are you doing, Joshua.”
   “All right, I guess. Tuesday my youngest son got engaged. Wednesday I had a blow out on the Interstate. I haven’t had any feelings of depression – not yet at least. With two major losses – my wife and then the church – I ought to be plummeting into depression. Maybe I have escaped it.”
   “Just don’t let it sneak up and capture you from behind.”
   “Thank you for listening. You are a good friend, Joe.”
   “You are a good friend and a good pastor. Call me again when you have news or when you need to talk to someone.”
   “Thank you and goodbye.”
   “Goodbye, Joshua.”
   The next day I slept late, had a leisurely breakfast, and read the morning paper before checking out. I drove to Laramie, and had lunch in an intriguing café called “The Soup Kitchen”. All they served were soups and what goes with it – bread sticks, crackers, and croutons. On a chalk board was a list of the soups for that day. One was scratched out. It was sold out.
I ordered tomato and basil soup. It was really delicious. There were basil leaves in the soup. When the waitress brought the soup, she also brought warm bread rolls, butter, and cheese on a wooden board with a cheese cutter. That day’s lunch was a delightful feast in an unexpected place.
   I walked around Laramie for a while, looked for the Presbyterian Church, and then checked into the Hampton Inn. When I went to my room there was a surprise waiting for me. The church had sent me a fruit basket. Someone had cut the pictures of the members from a church directory, and had decoupaged them onto the basket and its handle. I smiled at the creativity of my unknown benefactor.
   I decided right then that I would preach on “The Fruit of the Spirit” the next day. I set down my bag and got to work on the sermon right away. I didn’t stop for supper, though I did eat several pieces of fruit from the basket. About ten o’clock I had the sermon written out in pen on odd pieces of paper. I went down to the Lobby to the office equipment they have for use by guests. I typed and printed the sermon and took it back to my room.  I took out my suit, white shirt, and tie to see if any of them needed touching up.
   The next day I went to the Presbyterian Church a half hour before worship. There was a man waiting for me. His face was leathery and wrinkled. His grip was firm and his hands rough and calloused. He was wearing a nice suit and tie, but looked out of place in them.
   “Reverend Sterner?”
   “Yes, sir, that is me.”
   “I’m Calvin Willoughby. I’ll be your lay reader today. How do you like Wyoming so far? I understand that you are an Arkansan.”
   “I’m not an Arkansan, though I have just come from serving as pastor of a church there for ten years. Show m to the Study and I’ll tell you about the first time that I came to Wyoming over thirty years ago.”
   In the Study I told him about riding a bus across country while I was in the Air Force and my experience in a steak house in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
   “So you were an enlisted man in the service, not a chaplain?”
   “Yes, I was an enlisted man. That is how I was able to get a college education. When I came out of the service, I went to seminary on the G.I. Bill.”
   “Say, you are an all right guy. Preacher. Here is a copy of the bulletin. I’ve put a check mark beside the parts you will do, and an ex by the parts that I will do. Be sure to thank the choir after their number and thank the organist before you start preaching. The choir director’s and the organist’s names are in the bulletin. At announcements time call on Mrs. Definbaugh. She is the Clerk of Session.”
   “Thank you, Calvin. I’ve never had anyone prepare me so well when I was in a strange church, God bless you.”
   Calvin reinforced my initial impression of Wyoming people many years previously. I thought of the salesman who had helped me buy the correct snow board for Billy and the Soup Kitchen. I silently thanked God for the kind people He had sent to be here for me.
   The service went very well. Despite his gruff appearance, Calvin had obviously prepared for his parts in leading the service. When he introduced me, it was obvious that I had made a good impression on him. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought that Calvin and I were old friends from way back. When I started my sermon I acknowledged that it had been inspired by a fruit basket that had been waiting for me in my hotel room. I described the creative way in which the basket was decorated with the pictures of the people to whom I was now preaching. I also noted that I was eating some pieces of the fruit while I was writing the sermon. After the service, Calvin escorted me to the narthex while the organist was playing the postlude. Before he left me, he said,
   “Preacher, you hit a home run, today.”
   I smiled, pointing at him, and said, “I had a good batting coach.”
   The congregation was filing out, shaking my hand, and complimenting my sermon. A young, alert, and wiry man dressed in a sport coat, blue jeans, white shirt, gambler’s string tie, and cowboy boots said,
   “We talked on the phone about ten days ago. I’m Rex Nolan. I’ll wait for you out on the sidewalk. When you are ready we can go rustle up some grub.”
   That was the executive presbyter! The last person to leave was a Mr. Frisby.
   “Reverend Sterner, I’m Frank Frisby, the church treasurer. Here is a token of our appreciation. We also have paid your motel bill. Thank you for coming to us today.”
   “That is very gracious and considerate for the church to pay my motel bill and give me an honorarium besides.”
   “I think we got our money’s worth.”



Monday, May 5, 2014

ESCAPE - Chapter 17

   Molly had spoken to Mrs. Carruthers and she had agreed to accept Philip’s father as a temporary boarder. Philip had not been able to rent the manse. Mr. Lincoln, a lawyer and an elder in the Peck Presbyterian Church heard that Philip’s father was a Presbyterian minister.
   “What church does he pastor?”
   “He just left a church where he had been pastoring for ten years. He is coming here to rest up before he starts looking for another church.”
   “Do you think that he would be willing to preach for us while he is here? It is almost impossible to get an ordained minister, even a retired minister, to come to us and supply the pulpit. They have these lay preachers. Some of them are okay, but some of them remind me of those old codgers who sit around a table drinking coffee and jawing endlessly in the community room at the bank. Some Sundays we just have one of the members read from a book. Of course that is the way John Wesley was converted. A layman read from the Introduction to Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians.”
   “You can ask him when he gets here. If he calls me before he gets here, I’ll tell him that you are going to ask him.”
*************
   That evening I called Philip.
   “Hi, Dad. How are you?”
   “Well, I haven’t seen Nathaniel and Joy hasn’t heard from him. I decided to hang around several more days in Pecos. The executive presbyter of Wyoming Presbytery wants me to supply the pulpit in a vacant church in Laramie, Wyoming on Sunday, December 12. The next day I will drive to Billings, Montana, stay overnight and the drive to Wolf Point the next day. Be the good Lord willing I’ll arrive at your house on Tuesday evening December 14.”
   “Dad I found you a place to stay. You’ll be boarding with a widow woman in town, Mrs. Caruthers. You will be her first boarder. She really should have started taking in boarders long before this. Also, Mr. Lincoln, the only lawyer in town, and  an elder in the Peck Presbyterian Church is going to ask you to supply the pulpit for them while you are in town. I wanted to warn you so he won’t catch you by surprise.”
   “Have you had any messages or mail for me?”
   “None.”
   “Tell the children that I love them and I am looking forward to seeing them. Are there stores there where I can buy Christmas presents or should I do my Christmas shopping in Texas while I am killing time?”
   “There is not too much left in the stores here. However, for Molly and I, your being here for Christmas is all the gift we want. Children are not so altruistic. You can’t go wrong with any kind of doll for Polly. Billy wants a snow board, but I haven’t been able to find one, so if you can find a snow board, I’ll get him something else.”
   “Fine. You have my cell phone number don’t you?”
   “Yes. I love you, Dad.”
   “I love you, too, Philip.”
   From Pecos, Texas to Laramie, Wyoming was going to be a long drive. I decided to drive from Pecos to Las Vegas, New Mexico on Wednesday, from Las Vegas, New Mexico to Cheyenne, Wyoming on Thursday, stay overnight in Cheyenne, Wyoming Thursday night and spend Friday shopping in Cheyenne. Then I’d spend another night in Cheyenne. It would just be a short drive to Laramie. Saturday I could spend some time looking around the town before checking into the Hampton Inn.
   I still had several days to spend in Pecos. I went down to the desk and extended my stay to include Tuesday night.
   I called Joy to find out if she had heard from Nathaniel.
   “Yes, Reverend Sterner. I just got off the phone with him. He doesn’t sound good. He is coming here on Tuesday.”
   “Did you tell him that I was in town?”
   “Yes.”
   “If he calls again, please let him know that I am staying in the Hampton Inn in Pecos. Give him my cell phone number. Tell him that I will be in town until Tuesday night. I’m leaving on Wednesday morning.”
   “I will. I promise that I will.”
   “Where do you and your children go to church?”
   “We go to a Methodist church in Pecos.”
   “Would you mind if I went with you this Sunday?”
   “We’d love that.”
   “What time should I come to your house?”
   “We leave at 9:30 so that the children can go to Sunday School.”
   On Sunday morning I went to Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church with Joy, Sean, and Eibhlin. The church was the adobe, Mexican type of architecture so prevalent in West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. After the opening exercises, the children went to their Sunday School classes, Joy went to the Ladies Bible Class and I went into the Men’s Bible Class. 
   There was a Sunday School booklet with a Bible lesson and then the Sunday School lesson. However, the discussion twisted and turned from abortion advocates to the Gay Power parade in Denver the day before, to the ineffectual work of the Border Patrol and on and on. When I interjected a remark, no one even looked at me. They just continued their discussion as though it had not been interrupted. I believe that if someone would record their discussions each week, they would probably be almost the same topics.
   The Worship service was excellent. The choir had obviously rehearsed diligently. The prayers, Scripture lessons and sermon were all excellent and well thought out. After the service I introduced myself as “Reverend Joshua Sterner” and told the minister that he had an excellent sermon and I could tell that he had spent a good deal of time preparing it and praying beforehand. He drank my words thirstily. It isn’t often that a pastor receives compliments that acknowledge how much work he has spent on the sermon.
   After Church I took them to a restaurant which Joy assured me was the children’s favorite. After the children ate everything on their plate, the waitress gave them each three tokens which they could use in the video games at the back of the room. Joy and I then could eat our pie and drink our coffee in peace.
   That evening Nathaniel called me. He must have called Joy first to have my number.
   “Dad, things are falling apart for me.”
   “How is that, son?”
   “I was at Camp Dawson with six National Guard units. One night out in the field I just fell apart. I fell down on my knees and was crying and screaming. I thought I was back in Afghanistan. They took me back to my trailer, gave me tranquilizers, and made me stay there several days until the troops were going back to Texas. Now I am going to be ordered to go back to Fort Bragg. There I will have to undergo psych evaluations and interviews. It is up in the air whether I can even stay in the Army.”
   “Son, I’ll be praying for you. I’ll be in the Hampton Inn in Pecos through Tuesday night. Maybe we can get together.”
   “I’d like that. Let’s plan on having supper together Tuesday evening. I’ll call you after I get to town.”
   “Good. Let’s have a brief prayer. ‘Lord, you know how upsetting this is to Nathaniel. All that he ever wanted to be was a soldier in Special Forces. Now the very thing he wants to do has turned on him. Help him to know your will. Work in the hearts of the doctors and his commanders to decide what is Your best for him. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.’”
   “Amen.”
   Tuesday Nathaniel walked in the door of Joy’s house at 11 a.m. Joy ran across the room and hurled herself into his arms.
   “Nathaniel, I have missed you so much!”
   “I’ve missed you a lot. We have to talk about something serious.”
   “Sit down here. Let me snuggle into you while you tell me all about it.”
   When Nathaniel sat down on the sofa, Joy sat as close as possible, dropped her head onto his shoulder and wrapped one arm across his body.
   “While I was at Camp Dawson, one night I just fell apart. There were explosions and firecrackers to sound like rifle fire. I thought that I was in Afghanistan. I fell to the ground and looked for shelter, but in the darkness there was none. I covered my ears and started shouting and screaming all kinds of things. At first the other soldiers thought it was part of the exercise, but a lieutenant who happened to be there, and who has had two tours in combat, recognized that I was in trouble. He had some soldiers take me back to the Team headquarters. They called for a medic who gave me a shot. I was taken to my trailer. A soldier stayed there with me. I wasn’t allowed to leave it until they came back to Texas.
   “ I had to report what had happened to my unit commander at Ft. Bragg, NC. I have been ordered to PCS there. I will be put on 30 days leave, probably Thursday or Friday, until about the 7th of January. Then I will be stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina permanently while they put me through psych exams, physical exams, send me to counseling, and the rest of the time I’ll be supervising other “Wounded Warriors” while they pick up candy wrappers and cigarette butts or set up folding chairs. In the end they will decide my future in the Army. I seriously doubt that they will allow me to stay in Special Forces, but they might transfer me to another branch. They could find that I am not able to perform military duty any longer. In that case they would give me a medical discharge.”
   Joy was clinging to him and sobbing.
   Nathaniel didn’t know what more to say. He put an arm across her body and they sat hugging one another for a very long time.
   “Joy, let’s go look at each other across a pizza. I’m hungry.”
   They went to an Italian restaurant that had good pizzas and played Italian music in the background. The waitress brought two very fresh, crispy salads along with two plates for their pizza. Then she brought a large pizza and set it down on the other side of the table from them. They ate slowly and looked at one another, as hungry to take in the face and expressions of the other as they were to eat the salad and pizza. At one point Nathaniel beckoned to the waitress.
   "Do you have hot coffee?”
   “We have coffee, espresso, and cappacino. My recommendation is the specialty of this restaurant – black currant tea. No other restaurant within a hundred miles has it. It is special!”
   They both had black currant tea and continued to sit in silence. Nathaniel thought of a line from a song, “The Trumpet Vine” by Kate Wolf, “Sometimes we said the most when we never spoke a word.”
   They were probably in the restaurant for two hours and then they left. They drove back to Joy’s house in silence. Inside Joy sat on the sofa and patted the seat beside her.
   “Sit here. It is my turn to talk. My parents live in Pecos. I’ve never taken you to their house. Mom is in a wheelchair most of the time, although she can stand up for short periods of time. Dad has Alzheimer’s. Mom hasn’t put him in a nursing home because she needs his Social Security check. She will have to put him in a nursing home when he gets worse. He will get worse, because Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease. When that happens, Mom won’t be able to stay in the little cottage they rent. She will either have to come and live with us or go into an assisted living facility or even a nursing home. I can’t/won’t leave Pecos for the foreseeable future because of my parents’ situation.
   “At the same time, I want to marry you. I don’t want to wait to marry you. I want to marry you as soon as possible. Your father left your mother’s engagement ring with me. I want to be wearing it before the end of this day. If you don’t propose to me, I am going to propose to you. Or maybe I already have.”
   Nathaniel’s jaw dropped. He was speechless. Then he dropped down on his knees and looking into Joy’s eyes he said,
   “I know this is crazy. You’ve hardly known me - a little more than a month. I’m damaged goods. Will you marry me?”
   “Oh, yes, Nathaniel, a thousand times yes.”
   They stood up and kissed for a long, long time. They were interrupted by the children coming in from school. Joy went into her bedroom and came back with the ring.
   “Children, be quiet for a moment. I want you to see something special.”
   She handed the ring to Nathaniel. He took her left hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger. The children cheered and clapped while Nathaniel and Joy enjoyed another long kiss.
   “Yay. Sergeant Sterner is going to be our daddy!”
   “Okay, you kids go get washed up from school, eat your snacks and then go to your rooms until supper. Your Mom and I have some things to talk about. I won’t be here for supper. I’m going to have supper with my father this evening. He has to leave tomorrow morning.”
After the children had gone to their rooms, Nathaniel turned to Joy.
   “Here is what I suggest. We can be married on Saturday, January 1. We can go on a honeymoon after the wedding until January 5. January 6 I will leave for North Carolina. In the beginning I don’t know how hard it will be to get a pass. I will try to come back for the weekend once a month. It will probably have to be that way for as much as two years. After that, if they allow me, I’ll transfer to somewhere closer. My future is so uncertain, I can’t even guarantee that.”

   “I am not asking for guarantees. I am asking to be yours. I will be here for you, waiting and wanting you.”