Chapter 23
Gideon woke with a stretch and a yawn. The towel outside had been forgotten in sleep, but it quickly returned as his mind cleared of its fog, and he sprang to his feet.
He tiptoed to the door, checking on his dad, who was asleep in his bed with one leg draped over the side.
That was good. Gideon wasn’t ready to talk to anyone yet. If the towel was wet, he’d made a decision before falling asleep the night before to leave. He’d felt peace about it, but now the ball of trepidation was back in his stomach. Like it had been the first time. Did God want him to stay or go?
He didn’t need his feet to touch the ground this time when he went outside. He could see the dew clinging to webs in the grass. He stepped onto the lawn, and the damp cooled his toes as he walked up to the towel and stared down at it. So much was riding on this. A silly test he’d given to God. And he couldn’t be sure God was even in on it, or if He thought Gideon was being a fool. He sure felt like a fool.
“Here we go. The moment of truth.” He picked up the towel before a sharp laugh burst from him throat. He wasn’t expecting the relief he felt. His fingers explored the fabric before he was willing to confirm the impossible.
“I can’t believe it,” he breathed. “This is crazy.” It was more remarkable than the first time. That God would do it twice. But the towel was dry. Even the edges were dry. Not one drop of dew had dampened the towel. “You’ve outdone yourself.” He checked and rechecked the towel as he tramped across the wet grass. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but he hadn’t realized until this moment how much he wanted to stay. It didn’t matter what Fairfax or Sheriff Peters said. God wanted Gideon to stay.
The garage door squeaked open. “I thought you’d run off,” his dad said half-in, half-out the door as he tugged at his underwear. “What are you doing with that?”
“Checking a theory.”
“And?”
“And I’ve got work to do.”
Joey grunted and went back inside with Gideon on his heels.
He expected his dad to fall back into bed or grab one of his early-morning beers, but instead, once they were inside, he swiveled around and crossed his arms. “Well? ”
“Well, what?” Gideon said, dropping the towel over a chair.
“What’s the plan?”
“Good question.” Gideon went to his duffle bag to pull out a change of clothes. “I’m still not sure.”
“Then why are you getting dressed?”
“Because it’s morning.”
“You’re going out?”
“I am.”
“You know I’m going with you, right? You’re not leaving me behind.”
“I don’t think you want to come along on this trip.”
“Now, hang on a minute. I told you I was in this.”
“I know. I’m not trying to keep you away, but you might want to sit this first part out.”
“Oh, no. You’re not ditching me. I’m in this one hundred percent.” He took a dirty T-shirt off the floor and pulled it awkwardly over his head. “I’ll be ready before you, so you’ll have to take me with you.” He got a pair of pants and sat on the closest chair to pull them on.
“I’m going to church.”
Joey’s head shot up from his focused dressing. “What for?”
“Because I think that’s where everyone is that I need to speak to. Or I hope they are. Otherwise, I’ll need Nikki’s help to round them up.”
Joey harrumphed, then let his pants fall to the floor. “Fine. I’m still coming.” He pulled his shirt off. “But I’ll have to find something more appropriate.” He picked up another shirt and sniffed it before tossing it aside and grabbing another. “Smell this.” He held it out to Gideon.
“No. You don’t have any clean clothes?”
“After I wash them, I do, same as everybody else.” He lifted the lid on a box. “There she is. I knew I had one somewhere.” He held up a button-down, checkered shirt. “Just the thing for church. And it’s clean…well, clean er .”
“I didn’t even know you had a shirt like that.”
“Guess you don’t know everything about me then, huh?”
“Alright, so you’re coming to church. Can we take your car? I can’t risk taking mine out.”
“Sure, as long as you let me drive.”
“Dad, half your body doesn’t work.”
“That’s a bit harsh. It works just fine, just not like it used to. I’m not an invalid.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t too far to drive. “But no speeding. And you’re sure you want to come?”
Joey shrugged. “Why not? What have I got to lose, right?”
Gideon kept glancing at his dad, watching as he signaled and accelerated. “You still have your license, right?”
“Course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I thought maybe they took it after the stroke.”
“If they did, they didn’t tell me. Doesn’t matter. As you can see, I’m driving fine. It’s not like we have much policing around here anyway. ”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“I didn’t say it to be reassuring. I was simply stating a fact.”
At a T intersection, Joey stopped and looked at Gideon. “Which way?”
“You don’t know where the church is? Everyone knows where it is.”
“I made a point of not knowing.”
“So, you do know, you just won’t acknowledge that you know.”
“Left or right?”
Gideon sighed. “Left. I told you you didn’t have to come.”
“Too late now. But if the roof caves in when I walk inside, it’s not my fault. I mean, it is. But I won’t take responsibility for it.”
“Got it. Turn right up here, then it’s about 500 yards on the left.”
From a distance, Gideon could see the parking lot was full. Cars were parked everywhere, even though it was only eight in the morning. He wondered if they’d slept there. Those who had lost their houses might not have any other choice soon.
“Looks like they started without you,” Joey said as he picked out a shady spot under a tree in the yard since there was nowhere else.
“I don’t think they ever finished. You sure you want to come inside?”
Joey’s eyes narrowed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re embarrassed by me. ”
Gideon couldn’t help glancing down at his dad’s ripped jeans.
“Hey, they’re clean,” Joey grumbled. “What more do you want?”
“It’s not your clothes. No one will care. You’ve just never wanted anything to do with faith before.”
“This has got nothing to do with faith. I want to see the look on Fairfax’s face when we ruin him. And if it’s going to take the big guy upstairs to take out that megalomanic, then I’ll happily join His team. But can I give you a word of advice?”
Gideon had reached for the car door but settled back into his seat and prepared himself for the worst. “Yes, Dad?”
“Have a plan ready to go when you get in there. Even if you make it up. You can’t go in there with nothing to give them. They’re already afraid as it is.”
His dad was right, and he did have something. But it wasn’t much. “We should get in there.”
“What do you think they’ll say when they see me?” He hooted a soft laugh as they neared the building. “You think anyone will have a heart attack?”
“That’s poor taste.”
“What’d I say?”
“Nikki’s dad died of a heart attack.”
“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Poor guy. But you get my gist.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”