CAYMAN SUMMER (Taken by Storm) (27 page)

“I didn’t hear a voice

or anything or see stuff

in my head like you do,

but I had this feeling—”

He pauses, can’t speak for a moment.

He swallows and grips my hand.

“I, um, I—wasn’t alone.”

I hug him and good tears sting

my eyes. His lips

rest on my forehead,

his arms squeeze me.

“Do you know what that means?”

He gazes off into the distance.

“We’re not alone.”

Before I can answer, he props me

up, and holds me by the arms,

gives me a shake. “I woke up this

morning with this idea for

Aunty Jaz burgeoning in my brain.”

I smile, and try to say something,

but he gets there first.

“It grew and grew until

I picked up the phone and called

the chamber.”

I let joyful tears slip down my face

to consecrate the moment.

He wipes them away.

“I love the way this feels.”

I touch his cheek. “Me, too.”

He takes my hand and kisses my palm.

“Do you think this can happen

again or is it a one shot deal?”

I gather both of his hands in mine,

kneel on the kayak floor in front of him,

gaze forever into his smoky eyes.

“Whenever you’re willing

to pay the price—it’s there.

You’ve felt it before.”

He nods. “What do we do now?”

I swallow and wipe my nose

with the back of my hand.

“We can call the missionaries.”

His forehead creases concern.

“I love reading with you.

Can we keep doing that?”

That makes me start crying again.

He holds me close—our lips meet,

but it’s more like our hearts

mesh than our mouths.

I rest my ear against his chest

try to hear if he beats a fresh rhythm

to match mine. The fuzzy outlines of

forever with Michael become

a detailed sketch, glowing and radiant.

“Did I tell you I love you today?”

He rolls over the kayak’s side

into the water, deftly bringing

me with him. “Not enough.”

Chapter 30

LOVE

MICHAEL’S DIVE LOG – VOLUME 10

Dive Buddy:
solo

Date:
07/01

Dive #:
--

Location:
Grand Cayman

Dive Site:
East End dock

Weather Condition:
calm night

Water Condition:
not enough water pressure in the shower

Depth:
sprinkling down on me

Visibility:
shining

Water Temp:
intense warmth

Bottom Time:
hard to know—just minutes I think

Comments:

I was on a total high all day today. When Leesie and I picked up Aunty J, she beamed at me and swore her foot felt better already. Wound treatment in the hyperbaric chamber takes a series of one or two hour sessions over days—maybe weeks—so it was probably her O2 high talking. Still cool. Made me feel amazing.

Amazed. Astounded. That’s kind of how I’ve felt since last night. The high lasted all afternoon while Jaz telephoned all her friends from church with the good news and hit them up for rides to and from the hospital, and Leesie and I slowly forged ahead reading The Book of Mormon. We’d read, she’d explain, and I asked questions.

I got suspicious when she insisted on skipping a whole bunch of chapters.

“What’s in it?” Maybe that’s where they hide all the secret stuff about polygamy.

“Isaiah. Bible prophet. He wrote in code so the king wouldn’t off with his head. I get lost. Nephi explains what it means here.” She smoothed down the page.

She was intensely happy. I didn’t want to question her. I’m tempted to give a thumbs up to the missionaries, so I can watch her flip out. I want to keep her happy. She hasn’t been like this for so long. I always knew this was a huge deal for her, but seeing how thrilled she is that I’ll finally admit there seems to be a divine power out there makes me wish I could have figured it out sooner. I was grieving, angry. An idiot.

But now as I drive through Georgetown at rush hour worrying that I won’t make it back to East End in time for the night dive I swapped my morning dives for, cursing my own stupidity for not taking the northern route, I wonder what’s in those mysterious chapters. Maybe I’ll read them myself. No harm in looking.

Leesie wouldn’t lie. Or would she? Doubt creeps into the equation. I know—it’s stupid. She wouldn’t lie. I don’t doubt I felt a divine essence last night. I can’t doubt I felt led all day. I recognize I’ve been led before. But who says that is the same thing as the Beings she describes? Huge leap. Gigantic leap.

I’m working hard searching for that essence in the Book of Mormon. So far I’m touched and intrigued, but who is to say I won’t find the same sacredness in other holy books? Should I study those, too, and pray about them? Does the Book of Mormon being true make everything else false? Leesie believes in the Bible like other Christians, plus a bunch of stuff Joseph Smith wrote. Not stuff. Revelations.

If I were in love with a Buddhist girl or a Catholic girl or a Jewish girl, would I have these feelings about her faith? Am I imagining everything to please Leesie? To keep her?

I used to think all religion was crap—crazy stuff used to enslave people. Isn’t that what most educated people think? Whether they go to church or not? But if there is something real in the concept of God, is there something real in all religion? Is some lies? Some truth? How does He feel about all the evil stuff people have done—still do—in the name of religion? Is He down with crusades, burning witches, and suicide bombers?

I can’t comprehend the whole Jesus Christ dying for my sins thing. Leesie says no one does—you have to take it on faith. Feel it.

Faith. That’s another thing I don’t get.

I see it in Leesie. She’s got too much faith—in me.

I make it to East End with no time to spare for dinner. It’s okay. Leesie fed me and Jaz a giant lunch. I’ll live. I bolt down to the dock and start flinging tanks into the boat, pushing myself into a frenzy so I can’t think up more doubts, more questions. I work so fast the boat is ready ten minutes before anybody’s going to show up.

I’m sweaty and hot. I slip off my T-shirt and stand in the dock shower a minute in my swimsuit. I close my eyes and try to recapture how I felt when Leesie and I prayed together before I left Aunty Jaz’s shack.

Leesie didn’t make me kneel down or do anything freaky. She took my hand and bowed her head right there where we were sitting. “Bless Michael as he learns line upon line that he will come to know and Love Thee, Thy Son, and Thy gospel.”

Line upon line. Step by step.

Standing on the lonely dock with my face turned up to the refreshing cool water, I try to address Him—Leesie’s God—not a vague divine being. “Dear Heavenly Father,” I whisper and can’t continue.

I’m engulfed in love.

Intimate.

Personal.

Overflowing.

A father’s love.

A brother’s love.

A love that feels like home.

Chapter 31

PRODIGAL

LEESIE HUNT / CHATSPOT LOG / O7/03 2:22 PM

Leesie327 says:
Good you’re online. I so need to vent.

Kimbo69 says:
What’s he done now?

Leesie327 says:
Michael? I’m not mad at HIM. Michael is perfection.

Kimbo69 says:
He’s hot—but the guy’s got his flaws.

Leesie327 says:
I didn’t think I could love him more, but every day I do.

Kimbo69 says:
So that study thing you’re doing is going well? He’s swallowing the Mormon stuff?

Leesie327 says:
It’s not like that. This is the most beautiful experience. I wish I could explain it to you.

Kimbo69 says:
No thanks. Don’t turn your religious zeal on me. We have an agreement, remember?

Leesie327 says:
He prayed. Really prayed. And God answered him. He called me so excited.

Kimbo69 says:
God or Michael?

Leesie327 says:
Very funny.

Kimbo69 says:
So you’re going to live happily ever after?

Leesie327 says:
I was going to type YES, but then I thought of Phil. That will always hurt—but Michael is trying so hard, dropping all his barriers—for me.

Kimbo69 says:
How are you going to tell Michael that you and Phil were fighting over him in that pickup?

Leesie327 says:
I’m never going to. I won’t tell anyone. Promise me, Kim. Never say a thing.

Kimbo69 says:
Calm down. You know you can trust me. What interrupted perfection in paradise?

Leesie327 says:
It was dumb. I shouldn’t let stuff like that upset me. I dealt with worse every day in high school.

Kimbo69 says:
You’re making me crazy. WHAT HAPPENED?

Leesie327 says:
Michael has to work through the 4
^th
of July weekend, so he slept on Jaz’s porch last night and took me back down to East End this morning to go diving while Aunty Jaz got her treatment. Jaz’s friend picked her up and took Jaz to her house for a change of scenery. She must be having a good time. She’s still not back.

Kimbo69 says:
Did you get hurt diving?

Leesie327 says:
Dani and Seth were on the boat with us.

Kimbo69 says:
Did Miss Sleeze-bucket hit on your man?

Leesie327 says:
No. She tried to save him from the clutches of the evil Mormon devil-worshippers.

Kimbo69 says:
What?

Leesie327 says:
She grew up in the South going to one of those churches that show anti-Mormon videos to protect their flock.

Kimbo69 says:
Churches do that?

Leesie327 says:
She said that if I don’t turn away from my evil ways and find Christ, I’ll be damned. Apparently, I’m no longer a Christian.

Kimbo69 says:
She lectured you?

Leesie327 says:
And I sat there in stunned silence.

Kimbo69 says:
She’s one to talk.

Leesie327 says:
My dad always taught us “contention is of the devil.” Arguing with someone who wants to fight makes everyone angry. Pointless.

Kimbo69 says:
You let her get away with it?

Leesie327 says:
I didn’t want it to get ugly in front of Michael. Turning the other cheek is a lot harder than it sounds.

Kimbo69 says:
So what happened?

Leesie327 says:
Michael told her to shut up. Seth almost decked him.